Swedish retailer H&M will start a global recycling program in February 2013, allowing buyers to exchange old clothes for discount coupons at H&M stores across the world, Romania included. The program will be rolled over in selected stores in the 48 markets where H&M is active, and will make H&M the first fashion company to launch such a program.

The retailer will accept any clothing item, irrespective of its state and brand. The products will be collected by I:Collect, which recycles products. The old clothes will be taken to a sorting factory in Germany and the fabric will be used either for new clothes, as cleaning rags or for isolation in the car industry.

H&M is yet to announce the value of vouchers that will be given for each bad of old clothes as part of this program in its 22 Romanian stores.

Germany alone disposes of more than 300,000 tons of used clothing and shoes each year, according to I:Collect, while in the US a lot of clothing also gets chucked. “According to the Council of Textile Recycling, the average American throws away over 68 pounds [e.n. over 30Kg] of clothing per year,” according to the recycling company.

Every year tons of textiles are thrown out with domestic waste and end up in landfill. As much as 95 percent of these clothes could be used again; re-worn, reused or recycled - depending on the state of the garment.

editor@romania-insider.com