Ashford Designer Outlet’s sustainability initiative is set to help guests tackle textile waste and dispose of unwanted clothes responsibly.  The centre, which is home to Europe’s largest living wall, has a long-standing partnership with CTR Group to deliver a circular recycling scheme with 100% of the donations reused, re-worn or re-cycled.

The Recycle Your Fashion initiative is part of a larger corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitment for the business which aims to recycle 25 tons of clothing by 2022/23, whilst also supporting local community partners.  All of the proceeds from each bag of recycled garments donated are donated to the centre’s chosen local causes, allowing McArthurGlen guests to make a real difference to their community.

Guests wishing to participate in the scheme are invited to bring a bag of unwanted clothes into Ashford Designer Outlet to receive a 10% voucher, with a maximum of two bags per person, per day. The voucher can be used across selected brands in the centre and encourages guests to shop consciously, opting for investment pieces with longer product lifetimes instead of fast fashion trend-led items.

Recycle Your Fashion is the latest step towards becoming more environmentally conscious, with centres working continuously towards honouring their sustainability pledge.  Highlights (in selected centres) include:

• Electric car charging points at many of the centres to encourage more sustainable modes of transport
• The use of 90% green energy across the portfolio, leveraging renewable energy sources to reduce overall carbon emissions
• The implementation of a centre-wide sustainable landscaping policy to ensure the protection of green spaces with over 1,000 trees of which planted across all seven UK centres
• Introduction of beehives at some centres to support biodiversity and protect the world’s bee population
• Continued collaboration with long-standing landscapers to cultivate green spaces

Recycle Your Fashion launches on 1st October.  For more information visit www.mcarthurglen.com/outlets/en/uk/designer-outlet-ashford/whats-on/clothes-recycling/

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