M&S launches its hand-me-downable and sustainable Back to School range

Marks & Spencer Kids has launched a new campaign showcasing the environmentally friendly qualities of their new Back to School collection, which is also now on sale for 20% off. The promotion comes after the company said last week that it had collaborated with Clarks, a popular school shoe brand among parents, to offer its goods in select locations and on its website.

M&S was one of the first UK shops to provide organic Fairtrade cotton clothing for children in 2006, and it’s increasing the ante with its 2021 Back to School collection, which includes organic cotton knitwear, jerseys, and sweatshirts.

In addition, the retailer is introducing more recycled polyester and sustainably sourced viscose than in past years, as well as sustainably sourced trims such as buttons, sewing thread, and interlining.

M&S sells 2 million polos a year, therefore it has chosen this as the range’s flagship item, making the most sustainable polo yet with organic cotton fabric, recycled interlining, threads, and buttons.

Furthermore, the entire collection has been designed to pass the “hand-me-down” test, with jackets including three names on the label, allowing a 2021 purchase to be worn by siblings or friends for years to come.

With Back to School being the third-largest retail event of the year, M&S has made shopping both online and in-store more convenient.

Consumers will benefit from helpful “checklists” as well as M&S’s experienced clothes colleagues in-store later this month when the firm launches new visual category filters on M&S.com, making it even easier for customers to peruse the full selection. All M&S uniforms, including the new Clarks school shoe deal, will be available for free next-day click and collect from over 600 M&S shops.

Alice Duggan, Head of M&S Kids, said that they’re extremely delighted to serve little ones who they know care about the big things, and as a leading uniform retailer, they have a duty to keep working on making their offer more sustainable and kinder to the planet. They have more recycled goods this year than ever before, and they’re thrilled to be switching to organic cotton. With so much on their minds, they want to reassure parents that their offer is more sustainable than ever, while also making it easier for them to buy both in-store and online.

Back to School 2021 is part of M&S’s continuous commitment to children’s clothing as part of a strategic change from “special occasion” to “daily style & value,” which includes both uniform and casual daywear for after-school and weekends. M&S claims that its efforts have resulted in a 0.5 percent rise in market share above pre-pandemic levels.