10 reasons you should participate in a takeback scheme

More and more brands have started offering takeback schemes for customers to send back their old clothes, shoes and accessories when they’re finished with them. Whether they’ve only been worn once or they’ve been worn to death, the brands are offering a reward for sending them back.

Our partners chose to partner with Reskinned to make sure no clothes go to landfill, and we’ll responsibly recycle anything that hasn’t got any wear left in it.

There are tons of great reasons to use a takeback scheme to get rid of your old stuff - here are a few to persuade you.

1 You’ll get a voucher for your favourite brand

You’ve worn it, you’ve loved it, and now the time has come to let it go.

And that just might mean there’s space in your wardrobe for something new. Brands like the ones we partner with want to say thanks for your commitment to giving clothes and shoes a new shot at life.

That’s why when you participate in a takeback scheme with one of our brand partners, you’ll receive a voucher to spend on new clothes. Depending on the brand, that can be anything from 15% to a whopping £80 off of your next purchase.

Suddenly saying goodbye to those well-worn old clothes doesn’t seem so bad!

2 Take back schemes are good for the environment 

We know we say it a lot, but we’ll keep shouting it from the rooftops and no one can stop us: Clothes and shoes should never be put in the bin!

Choosing to send your clothes in a takeback scheme means they’ll be rehomed, repaired or recycled by us, and they won’t end up in landfill. We always choose the best route for each individual piece, so that we can make sure nothing gets recycled if it can still be reworn.

3 Your clothes get another chance

A lot of love and effort goes into making clothes. Most processes that are involved in making any sort of garment are human, so that means someone has usually laboured for a few hours minimum to create the pieces we wear.

These clothes deserve to be worn and loved as much as possible, but lets face it, we all have some pieces in our wardrobe that deserve a lot more air time than they’re currently receiving.

That’s why we encourage everyone to do regular clear outs and send anything to us that isn’t being worn, so it can be loved and worn for years to come by someone else.

4 Nothing goes to landfill

Did you know that only 1% of clothes thrown away in the UK are actually recycled, despite most of them being recyclable?

We can only speak for Reskinned’s takeback schemes here, but we’re proud to say that nothing we receive back from you goes to landfill, no matter what condition it’s in.

We’ll always do our best to spruce up and repair anything that has life left in it, and sell it on our platform.

When something’s really reached the end of its days, we’ll responsibly recycle it, so you can be safe in the knowledge that nothing ends up on landfill sites.

5 We recycle things that can't be sold

Reusing is our main priority at Reskinned, so we only recycle things if there’s definitely no way that someone else will want them.

Things that are stained, ripped or stretched out beyond repair will be collected by fabric type, the buttons, zips and hardware will be removed, and we’ll find the best way to responsibly recycle them.

That means your old clothes could be transformed into anything from new clothes, to dog beds and sofa stuffing, or even punchbags like our Sweaty Betty leggings.

What something can be made into will depend on the fibres it’s made up of, and the quality of them. Garments that are 100% of one fabric are the easiest to recycle into new clothes.

6 You can buy something new to replace something old

Participating in a takeback scheme means you can use your voucher to buy something new to replace something old.

We strive to have wardrobes full of things we totally love, and wear all of the time. Naturally, no matter how much we repair or take care of our clothes they’ll all get to a point where they don’t serve us any more - either they get ripped or stained, or they stop fitting as our body changes, or we grow out of their energy and they stop being what we gravitate towards to feel good.

Whatever the reason, there comes a time when something old needs to go, and something new needs to come in.

7 We're specialists

We know the best thing to do with your old clothes, shoes and accessories.

It can be really overwhelming to work out how to recycle different things - some things can go in the main recycling bin, others need to go in a clothes recycling bin, others need to be taken apart.

We hate the idea of things ending up in landfill because someone didn’t know what to do with them, and that’s why we have recycling experts on hand to work out the best way to recycle clothes no longer fit for use.

With over 20 years of experience, we are up to date on all things recycling, and we put that expertise to good use.

8 It makes other brands get involved

The more brands offer a takeback service and see success with it, the more brands want to get involved. So if your favourite shop isn’t offering a takeback service yet, get in touch with them and tell them about us!

The more people take part in takeback, the more brands will take notice, and the bigger impact we’re able to have overall. The goal is to make it the norm for any company that makes clothes to offer a way to dispose of them.

Your voice and your actions can really make a difference.

9 People can buy things they didn’t get a chance to

You know that feeling when you find the absolute perfect item, but it’s sold out in your size, never to return to your favourite brand? Yeah, it can be heartbreaking - no exaggeration.

One person’s trash definitely can be another person’s treasure, and giving your clothes back when you’ve fallen out of love with them can mean making someone’s day when they realise they can finally get their hands on something they thought they’d missed out on.

It’s also a pretty good reason to keep up to date on what we sell on Reskinned - you might be about to find your next favourite thing in your wardrobe.

10 You're contributing to a circular economy

Circularity means never throwing anything away, and always finding another use for it. When we’re finished with our clothes, they can be worn by someone else, and when they’re not wearable any more, the fibres can be upcycled or recycled to become something new.

Participating in a takeback scheme is an easy way to support your favourite brand, get a great discount and do something good with your old clothes. Do you need any more convincing?

Check out our takeback partners here.