A host of major fast fashion players, including Zara and Asos, are cracking down on serial returners who shop online by reducing promoted items or introducing fees for items sent back.
Before making a final decision, shoppers were accustomed to obtaining a variety of sizes and colours of the same product.
But in order to address the rising problem that is affecting revenues and lessen the impact on the environment, fast fashion stores, like Boohoo, Zara, and H&M, have all instituted minor returns fees.
Joseph Ahlberg, the head of investor relations at H&M, commented on the company’s decision, saying it was done ‘to remind customers to be mindful of making returns due to the climate impact.’
Only 25 per cent of ‘unsellable’ returns are recycled, 50 per cent wind up in landfills, and 25 per cent are burned, according to Statista. Many things are declared unsellable because it would take too much time and money to process, clean, repackage, and distribute them.
More clothing waste is produced by the fact that many stores that offer trend-driven items, like Asos, do not see the benefit of reselling them once a fad or season has passed. At a meeting last week hosted by the British Retail Consortium, the findings was presented to executives from the fashion industry.
