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Shwop and save on kidswear

Let’s Shwop

Let’s Shwop for Oxfam

 

Donate your pre-loved M&S school uniform to Oxfam in store and receive 20% off kids’ daywear* with Sparks.


Our school uniform has been cleverly designed to be hand-me-downable and exceptionally long-lasting. Lots of items feature stain-resistant materials and StayNew™ technology, ensuring clothes stay looking new for longer, while adjustable hems and waistbands allow clothes to grow with your child (up to 3cm).


And, when there’s no growing room left, taking part in our Back To School Shwopping Scheme ­is a really easy way to ensure school uniform that’s too good to waste is donated – to be re-sold and re-worn – helping us all to live more sustainably.


Sparks Drop & Shwop for Oxfam

How it works

 

Donating your pre-loved school uniform via our Back To School Shwopping Scheme helps others in more ways than one. Items go to Oxfam, which sells your pre-loved school uniform to raise vital funds to help fight for an equal future without poverty. Oxfam will also be working with eBay to launch a dedicated pre-loved schoolwear eBay shop to make finding affordable, good-quality uniform easy, no matter where you live. This allows families to buy our superior-quality school uniform at greatly reduced prices, while giving clothes a useful second life.


The money raised then goes to support communities around the world to tackle poverty and inequality – and if Oxfam can’t sell an item, they recycle or reuse the material wherever possible.


How to donate

Simply pop your pre-loved M&S school uniform into the Shwop box in the M&S kidswear department in selected stores – and we’ll do the rest.


How to claim your discount

Once you’ve donated, look for the QR code on the in-store Shwop box, scan it and we’ll send a 20% discount on kids’ daywear right to your app. You can then shop with us via our app, online (don’t forget to log in) or scan your Sparks card in store and the discount will automatically be applied to valid items*.


*Offer not valid on discounted items, babywear, accessories, footwear, nightwear, underwear, school uniform and hosiery. Not valid in outlets. You can only take advantage of this offer once per month.

FAQS

  • We’ve been Shwopping since 2008. Shwopping is a way for our customers to responsibly rehome and repurpose their pre-loved clothes and textiles. Our Shwopping partner is Oxfam who will either resell, reuse or recycle our customers donated textiles and clothing to help raise money to tackle poverty cross the world. You can pop your pre-loved items in a Shwop box at one of our stores and if you’re a Sparks customer, scan the QR code on top of the box to receive a free treat in your Sparks hub. You can also donate to an Oxfam store, where you’ll receive a £5 voucher if your donation includes an item of M&S clothing. You don’t need to buy anything to Shwop with us. Incredibly, since 2008 the M&S and Oxfam Shwopping partnership has collected over 35 million items, contributing an estimated £23 million to Oxfam’s vital work across the world. So you can clear out with a clear conscience.

  • You can Shwop any item of pre-loved clothing from any retailer, including shoes, handbags, jewellery, belts, hats, scarves and bras. You can also Shwop soft furnishings such as bed linen, towels, cushions, curtains, tablecloths and tea towels. If items can’t be sold in an Oxfam store, the materials may be perfect for recycling and breaking down into fibres for new products and materials. You can Shwop any amount of items.

  • We partner with Oxfam to manage our customer Shwopping donations. Oxfam will make the most of every donated item such as:

    1. Reselling donated clothing and textiles in one of their stores, online shop or at festivals - using the money to help fight poverty.

    2. Recycling clothes they can’t sell, by selling them to bulk reprocessing companies who make the unwanted textiles into new products such as mattress filling or carpet underlay.

    Shwopping donations will be sorted at one of Oxfam’s or Oxfam’s partners sorting facilities before being resold or recycled.

  • Whether it’s in the UK or abroad – M&S does not want any textiles going to landfill. If clothing and textiles are not responsibly re-used or re-purposed, they risk ending up in landfill which produces emissions and releases harmful chemicals and microfibres into the environment. In the UK, approximately 350,000 tonnes of text £140m worth of textiles is sent to landfill in the UK each year. Textile waste is not sustainable so we support reselling, rehoming and recycling as much as we can and therefore minimising the chance of items ending up in landfill. M&S supports a circular economy and wants to extend the life of clothes for as long as possible – by working with Oxfam, we celebrate pre-loved clothing and help to divert unwanted clothes from landfill. We want our customers to help us turn the tide on textiles waste and accelerate our journey towards Net Zero by helping keep their clothes and textiles in circulation for as long as possible. Textile waste is not sustainable so we support reselling, rehoming and recycling as much as we can and therefore minimising the chance of items ending up in landfill. M&S supports a circular economy and wants to extend the life of clothes for as long as possible – by working with Oxfam, we celebrate pre-loved clothing and help to divert unwanted clothes from landfill. We want our customers to help us turn the tide on textiles waste and accelerate our journey towards Net Zero by helping keep their clothes and textiles in circulation for as long as possible.

  • We want to inspire as many of our customers as possible to start Shwopping as your participation helps give pre-loved clothes a second life, clearing your wardrobe while reducing the amount of items thrown into UK landfill.

    That’s why, as a thank you for Shwopping, we’re giving our Sparks customers a free treat every time they Shwop. Simply scan the QR code on the Shwop box when you bring your pre-loved clothes into store and receive a free treat in your Sparks hub (T&Cs apply). Not a Sparks customer? Join here: www.marksandspencer.com/joinsparks

    Together, we have the power to be part of the solution and we hope that you will join us in being part of a clothes-recycling revolution, making Shwopping the norm.

    You can also Shwop at Oxfam stores – if you have an item of M&S clothing in your Shwopping, Oxfam will give you a £5 M&S clothing and home spend and save voucher to spend in store.