Primark extends clothing take-back initiative across Europe

Fashion retailer, Primark, is expanding its clothing take-back initiative- Textile Takeback, to locations across Europe, after a successful rollout across the UK. The scheme, which began in stores across the UK last year, will now be expanded to 73 locations in Austria, Ireland, and Germany.

Textile Takeback allows customers to recycle garments from any brand as well as home textiles such as bedsheets and towels through in-store pickup boxes. After then, the items are reused, recycled, or repurposed.

Primark has teamed up with recycling firm Yellow Octopus on the project, which has already collected almost 23 tonnes of stock. Yellow Octopus also worked with eCommerce delivery company InPost earlier this year to expedite postal apparel donations.

Lynne Walker, Director of Sustainability at Primark, said that they recognize that making it easier for consumers to donate their pre-loved garments to be recycled back into the system is a vital element of their mission to become a circular and more sustainable business. Giving more clothing a second life and fewer items to waste means expanding our in-store Textile Takeback scheme to four countries and more than 250 stores.

Walker added that by 2030, they want all of the clothes they sell to be made out of recycled or sustainably sourced materials. Textile Takeback is another step along the way to ensuring that more new clothes are created from old clothes, extending the life of clothing and minimizing waste.

Christiane Wiggers-Voellm, Managing Director of Primark Germany and Austria, said that donating used clothing and thereby facilitating their recycling is an important element of their efforts to become a circular and more sustainable organization. With the expansion of their recycling program, they will be able to give more apparel a second chance at life, resulting in fewer items ending up in landfills.

Primark has also promised that by 2030, 100% of their garments will be made from recycled or more environmentally produced materials, with no price increase.