Stephanie Sofokleous challenges fashion's eco credentials

How green is your Zara pre-owned shearling jacket?

This faux shearling jacket (£89.99, zara.com), from Zara’s current range, could one day have a longer lease of life at resell.zara.com.

£: Donation home collections, £1.95.

Repair services: buttons, £3 each; hems, from £12; zip replacements, £15; tears and small holes, £10; debobbling, £8.

There are no seller’s fees but buyers must pay £1 per item plus five per cent of the purchase price and, of course, postage.

Journey: All donations are kept in the country of origin and transported by road. 

This faux shearling jacket (£89.99, zara.com), from Zara’s current range, could one day have a longer lease of life at resell.zara.com

WHAT’S THE STORY?

Zara’s Pre-Owned platform (resell.zara.com) was created to help extend the life of your Zara pieces and make the brand carbon neutral by 2040.

WHY SHOULD I USE IT? 

The service enables you to book repairs and resell any Zara pieces you no longer wear. While clothing donation bins have been in Zara stores in Europe since 2016, now, via the Pre-Owned platform, you can have unwanted items collected from your home.

All donations – and they don’t have to be by Zara – go to nonprofit organisations such as the Red Cross.

WHY SHOULDN’T I USE IT? 

As one of the world’s biggest fast fashion brands, Zara sells around 450 million garments a year, so any move to reduce what ends up in landfill can only be positive. However, with the brand not disclosing how many pieces go through its Pre-Owned service, it’s hard to know how useful this initiative is.

THE EXTRA MILE

Zara works with Caritas, which processes the donated textiles for reuse while creating jobs for socially vulnerable people.

OUR RATING

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