M&S is the latest big name to embrace repair services, linking up with repair and alterations specialist Sojo on the new project that’s supported by the £1 million M&S Plan A Accelerator Fund as the retailer commits to investing in driving the circular economy.
The firm’s Plan A is actually one of the longest-running sustainability programmes in UK retail/fashion, having been launched in 2007. And M&S was the first major retailer to become carbon-neutral in its own operations back in 2012.
But the new development is particularly significant given that it takes the firm’s consumer-facing initiatives to another level.
In fact, along with the launch, the company has unveiled a “new circularity identity” dubbed Plan A – Another life across stores, website and app.
This identity will be visible from this month and brings all of fits circularity services into one place.
As for the repair service, consumers will be able to book this online from August with a hub called ‘M&S Fixed by Sojo’.
Via the dedicated hub, M&S customers will be able to select and book a range of bespoke repair services — from zip replacements to invisible knitwear mending — with repairs starting from just £5. The M&S clothing can then be sent, repaired by Sojo’s in-house repair team and returned directly to the customer’s doorstep within seven to 10 days.
The company said its M&S Family Matters Index has shown that only 10% of the UK population is confident enough to repair clothing themselves and 60% of consumers are looking for retailers to offer more services that support them to lower their carbon footprint.
Sojo, founded in 2021 by Josephine Philips, has a small-but-growing team of “tailors, riders, developers and creatives working to accelerate change in the fashion industry”.
In just a few years it has built some key partnerships, including Vestiaire Collective, Nobody’s Child (in which M&S holds a major stake) and Selfridges.
Now, M&S said that “with a shared set of values, the two businesses have come together, as partners in change”.
According to WRAP, the climate action NGO, in the UK alone, 1.6 billion items of clothing in wardrobes aren’t being worn — which is an average of 31 items per person.
The company is aiming to change this with its new repair service, as well as reducing textiles waste.
Its Sojo partnership builds on the retailer’s established clothing donation scheme with Oxfam, “which has collected over 36 million items of clothing, raising an estimated £23m to tackle poverty around the world”.
That includes the new service, as well as the Beauty Takeback Scheme with Handle, and the Oxfam link-up that was formerly known as ‘Shwopping’.
As well its range of services, the Plan A – Another life platform will be home to a selection of 60-second ‘how-to’ videos covering everything from debobbling knitwear to adjusting hemlines.
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