Recycled jacket

Helen Glover MBE, Cotswold Outdoor Ambassador and Double Olympic Champion, tried out our Recycle my Gear service in-store. Find out what she thought here.

Helen Glover Recycle My Gear

Give your unwanted gear a new lease of life

We want to be a zero-waste retailer as part of our mission to reduce our impact on the environment. If you love the outdoors as much as we do, you’ll want to keep your kit out of landfill and give it a new lease of life. That’s why we’ve introduced Recycle My Gear – a programme designed to meet one or more of our environmental criteria and help combat climate damage. To help us do this, we’ve partnered with SOEX, the largest clothing re-wear and recycle company in the world, who offer clothing and textile collection, sorting, reuse, recycling and a redistribution network that’s committed to the very highest standards. Cotswold Outdoor also has curated Our Planet, a range of carefully selected products and brands noted for their environmental considerations. Find out more about our carefully selected Our Planet range.

So, what can you expect from this exciting initiative?

 

-  A reliable place to recycle textiles

 

- Transparency on how products are recycled/reused

 

- Seasonal incentives in-store for replacement products

 

- A simple way to help protect the outdoors

 

To help everyone recycle safely and easily, we’ve placed permanent recycling stations in-store which our customers can access and use to recycle unwanted textiles. 

So how does it work? Here’s a simple step-by-step guide:

 

1. Collection

 

2. Sorting for: 

                a. Resale/Reuse

                b. Recycling

 

3. Distribution to agreed markets

 

4. Breaking down products into recyclable components for multiple industries

 

Once you’ve dropped your unwanted gear into our recycling boxes in-store, SOEX come to collect. Then the sorting begins.

 

The sorting process follows the “waste hierarchy”, ensuring clothes and shoes remain in their original form as long as possible. All clothing is sorted by hand into one of 450 grades and categorised according to the next best use: reuse or recycle.

What we accept

- Clothes (jackets, jumpers, hats etc.) of any quality and brand

 

- Home textiles (towels, tablecloths etc.) of any quality and brand

 

- Paired shoes of any quality and brand (best bound together)

 

- Handbags

 

- Belts

 

- Garment that are ripped, have holes and permanent stains

 

 

What we can't take

- Sleeping bags

 

- Tents

 

- Rucksacks

 

- Ski boots/ice skates

 

- Fabric remnants/rags

 

- Blankets

 

- Pillows

Please note, all returned garments must be clean and dry.

What this all means

By working with SOEX, we have a partner with:

 

 - Logistical capability

 

- Scalability

 

- Transparency

 

- Dual capabilities - customer recycled products and returned/faulty products

 

With their help, we can now give your unwanted clothing a second chance or a completely new life through the closed loop recycling process, keeping it out of landfill and helping to protect the planet. 

FAQs

What items can be recycled?

Most textiles and fabrics, whether loose material or garments, and any footwear

 

Are there any items that can’t be recycled?

We cannot recycle sleeping bags or tents, rucksacks fabric fragments, ski boots/ice skates, blankets or pillows

 

Do I have to wash the garment before bringing it in?

We can’t accept anything that’s heavily soiled, and ask that all products deposited are clean and dry but we do take garments in almost any condition

 

What happens to product after they’ve been deposited?

If it’s wearable, it will be reused. Extending the lifetime of clothing and shoes achieves the biggest positive impact. Here’s why:

        - Wearable clothing remains in its original form for as long as possible 

        - Clothing is sold to second-hand markets in 90 different countries

        - Garments are given a second life whilst saving valuable resources, thus preserving the environment

 

If it’s unwearable, it can still be recycled. This is achieved through  open and closed loop recycling processes. What’s the difference?

 

Open Loop Recycling: 

- Fibres become products for many industries, e.g. insulation and product for the car industry

 

Closed Loop Recycling: 

- Recycled fibres are used for the production of yarns for new textiles, in a unique textile-to-textile process

 

What condition does the item have to be in?

Any condition is fine, provided it’s clean, dry and not heavily soiled 

 

Do you accept footwear?

Yes – any type of paired footwear can be recycled except ice skates and ski boots

 

How much does it cost?

Good news! Recycling your gear in-store is completely free so you can help us work towards zero-waste at zero cost

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