Pre-owned apparel / used goods from Zara will soon be available for sale, repair, and donation to UK customers.
On November 3, the Inditex-owned Spanish fashion juggernaut will introduce Zara Pre-Owned as part of its commitment to environmental protection.
Through the service, customers can schedule repairs. They can also list used Zara goods for sale, and donate unwanted things online or in-person.
The platform is to be placed on Zara website and mobile app, with Stripe as the payment processor.
Customers may post images of their goods along with detailed product information on an app similar to Vinted. Once a sale is made, the seller will receive the purchasers’ information so that the products can be posted.
Customers looking to get their Zara clothing repaired, they will have a variety of choices to choose from, including repairing seams and replacing buttons and zippers.
Customers can also request that donations of their unwanted clothing be picked up from their homes.
Zara Pre-Owned is not expected to be financially successful in its early phases, stated Paula Ampuero, head of sustainability at Zara.
This platform is aimed to be a tool to assist customers in increasing the lifespan of their apparel and adopting a more circular mindset.
Fast fashion retailers are facing increasing pressure to address the industry’s large carbon footprint. They plan to implement more sustainable procedures rather than promoting a “throwaway” culture.
Presently, a number of companies, such as Zara and H&M, provide recycling programs that let customers donate old textiles that may be sorted and recycled to create new clothing and materials.
Zara announced a trial relationship with the Dotte Resale Collective earlier this year, Marks & Spencer claimed it was the first significant high-street brand to join the resale industry.
Parents of young children can purchase, sell, donate, and recycle outgrown children’s clothing on Dotte. It is an entirely circular marketplace for used children’s clothing.
Additionally, John Lewis introduced a rewards programme for customers who bring in five items of clothes for recycling or resale. The shop claimed that more than 300,000 tonnes of textiles end up in landfills each year. This is why it started the programme.
Zara and similar businesses receive criticism for their high carbon footprint.
Consumers seek more environmentally sustainable or “circular” choices, that enable resource reuse or recycling.
Zara joins a number of businesses testing with rental, resale, and repair.
In the upcoming years, the resale and refurbishment sector is anticipated to overtake quick fashion. By 2030, the Selfridges department store chain wants to base nearly half of its interactions with customers on resale, repair, rental, or refills.
UK will be the targeted test market in the initial phase stated by Zara.
If successful, the service is likely to be extended to other key markets.
