Mango partners with I:CO to advance circular economy strategy

Spanish fashion group Mango, has teamed up with circular services provider I:CO, a subsidiary of the Soex group, to launch a garment collection service in Germany, Poland, Switzerland, and Turkey.

I:CO will oversee the service’s logistics, collecting donations from customers through Mango’s Committed Box project, which it will then evaluate to determine whether the items are appropriate for resale, reuse, or recycling.

I:CO will be in charge of collecting the garments left in Mango’s Committed Box containers and sorting them into one of three categories: repurpose (wearable garments are distributed in the second-hand channel); reuse (if they can’t be repurposed, they will be used for other purposes); or recycle (if they can’t be repurposed, they will be used for other purposes) (the garments can be transformed into textile fibers for industrial uses).

The collaboration with I:CO aims to have a local partner manage the textile waste gathered in each country. The garbage collected in Mango stores was previously managed from Spain. Mango will be able to process them locally thanks to this deal with a local partner, lowering its carbon footprint and optimizing inverse logistics.

All of the items collected in Spain are donated and processed at the Koopera recovery and recycling center, which is part of Moda Re, a network of Cáritas-supported social initiative cooperatives and non-profit work placement organizations.

Mango is currently in talks with other possible local partners to manage garbage locally in each area where the Committed Box project has been deployed, in addition to the arrangement made with I:CO. Customers can deposit any type of textile or footwear in the Committed Box containers, regardless of brand.

In 2015, the Committed Box project was launched as a trial, with garment recycling bins being installed in retailers across Spain. Committed Box containers are now available at all Mango company stores in 15 countries (Andorra, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom), as well as in a few chosen stores in Croatia.

The project was expanded to five other nations in 2021, with a total of 105 extra containers, including Austria, Italy, Turkey, Switzerland, and Russia. Regardless of whether they have a container or not, all franchise businesses in these six countries collect used clothing. Committed Box containers were found in 759 Mango stores by the end of 2021.

Mango Likes You, Mango’s customer loyalty program, welcomed the Committed Box project in 2019. Customers who recycle their unwanted clothing in Committed Box containers gain Likes in their accounts, which they may use to get movie tickets and discounts or donate to social action projects, as part of the Mango Likes You program.

The Committed Box project is part of Mango’s sustainability strategy and attempts to integrate the company’s business with the Sustainable Development Goals for responsible consumption (SDG 12).

Beatriz Bayo, Mango’s sustainability director, said that one of the foundations of Mango’s sustainability goals is pushing forward with its circular economy plan. As a result, they’re trying to expand their Committed Box initiative through agreements like this one, collaborating with local partners to make a local contribution in every area where the concept is implemented.