Customers can donate unwanted M&S clothes to Oxfam and receive a £5 voucher to spend in-store.
In a smart surprise and delight marketing tactic, Marks & Spencer will pay its customers to donate items to Oxfam and give unwanted items a second life, as it relaunches its ‘Another Life’ clothes takeback scheme.
The initiative has been running for more than a decade and has already collected more than 36.5 million secondhand items. It taps into the growing demand for sustainable fashion and resale, with M&S recently launching a secondhand clothing store on eBay.
Goodwillers will receive a £5 M&S voucher for making a donation at an Oxfam shop, as long as their donation includes at least one M&S item. It’s a simple way for shoppers to refresh their wardrobe, support a good cause, and extend the life of preloved clothing.
What is Another Life?
M&S first launched the “Another Life” scheme in 2008. The concept is pretty straightforward: customers drop off preloved M&S items in-stores or via prepaid donation bags, with donations then being passed to its charity partner, Oxfam.
Profits from these sales are shared: Oxfam receives 15%, while the remaining revenue is split between M&S, eBay, and Reskinned. Items that aren’t in a state to be resold are recycled or repurposed, keeping clothing out of landfills.
The program was previously known as ‘shwopping’; a combination of shopping and swapping. This year, it has expanded online with M&S’s eBay store, where clothes are refurbished by Reskinned, professionally cleaned, and repaired before being resold.
Since the scheme’s launch, M&S has collected more than 36.5 million garments, underlining the scale of its impact and the consumer appetite for sustainable fashion.
Why has M&S brought it back?
Now more than ever, consumers increasingly value sustainable fashion, whether it’s vintage, resale, or upcycling. Partly in response to the environmental impact of fast fashion, UK shoppers increasingly want their clothes to have longer and longer lifespans.
And high street brands are paying attention: UNIQLO now offers alteration services for its jeans and trousers, while innovative startups like LOANHOOD and The Seam run pop-up clothes swaps, creating opportunities for circular fashion.
The boom of online resale platforms like Depop and Vinted, reporting strong growth and record sales, proves there’s a serious demand for secondhand items.
For online retailers, this movement signals that sustainability isn’t a niche or a fad. It’s closely linked to customer loyalty, acquisition, and brand positioning, making eco-conscious initiatives a competitive advantage.
What can online sellers learn?
While M&S is a large national fashion chain, SMEs might still take inspiration from its partnership with Oxfam in several ways.
For example, you could consider rolling out similar takeback or resale programs to keep your items in circulation rather than being discarded. Ensure there’s an incentive for customers to return items to you, such as offering discount codes or vouchers.
Partnerships with resale or repair specialists are also becoming more common. These collaborations allow brands to extend product life, reduce waste, and enhance engagement.
Whatever sustainability activities you choose to introduce, promote them clearly, as conscious consumers reward transparency and brands that actively reduce waste.
By making sure your online store embraces circular fashion, you can engage like-minded customers, build loyalty, and be ahead of the curve in the growing demand for shwopping.
