Joanna Lumley Fronts Marks And Spencer Swap And Shop Campaign

Joanna Lumley Fronts Marks And Spencer Swap And Shop Campaign

Actress Joanna Lumley is fronting a new Marks & Spencer campaign aimed at changing clothes shopping habits towards greater recycling.

The retailer is completely covering a street - including trees and a dog - with clothes in East London's Brick Lane fashion district to highlight the amount thrown into UK landfill every five minutes.

The campaign, in partnership with Oxfam, aims to emphasise the value of unwanted garments and encourage consumers to consider alternative uses for the one billion garments thrown away every year in the UK.

M&S is asking customers to exchange or "shwop" any old or unwanted items of clothing - of any brand - when they buy a new garment for recycling or reselling by Oxfam, aimed at creating a new "buy one, give one" culture on the high street.

It said its ultimate aim was to recycle as many clothes as it sells - 350 million a year.

Lumley, who is to be the retailer's new worldwide ambassador for its Plan A eco and ethical programme, said: "I'm really excited to be working with M&S and have long admired Plan A. Their latest initiative, shwopping, is all about getting customers to recycle unwanted clothes every time they shop at M&S. It's a big, bold campaign and a first for the high street.

"We're asking people to open their hearts, their minds and their wardrobes. Remember we used to just throw away plastic bottles. Now we recycle them without even thinking about it. We need to do the same with clothing. Bring in something old; buy something new. Swap and shop. It's that simple."

M&S chief executive Marc Bolland said: "We're leading a change in the way we all shop for clothing, forever. This is the right, responsible move for the UK's biggest clothing retailer and the ultimate goal is simple - to put a complete stop to clothes ending up in landfill.

"We want to get back one garment for every one we sell. For us that's 350 million a year. It is a big number, but with our customers' help, we will do it."

Oxfam chief executive Barbara Stocking said: "For Oxfam, shwopping will ultimately mean helping us change the lives of some of the world's poorest people.

"Unwanted clothing donated to us by the British public raises millions of pounds every year to help fund our life-saving work, so it's vital for us to keep those donations coming in. This campaign brings a really fresh approach to that challenge, and the potential offered by reaching out directly to M&S customers is very exciting."

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