How R:evolve Recycle is putting the brakes on fast fashion

Goals

“Older people would tell us how back in the day, if a button fell off your shirt, you knew how to fix it,” says Anne-Marie Clements, Partnership Liaison Officer at R:evolve Recycle. “In those days, they had two pairs of shoes: good ones for special occasions, and another pair for everything else.”

Back in 2015, these values empowered a group of volunteers to take action by helping to reduce the environmental damage caused by fast fashion.

The initiative started with one store in Glasgow, where people could bring their old and unwanted clothes and trade them for points to spend on other clothes in-store.

Their model encourages customers to participate in the circular economy, and has proven popular in the local community. R:evolve Recycle now operates in three locations, and continues to grow. “There’s really two issues here,” explains Anne-Marie. “There’s the sustainability issue of producing more than we could ever consume. Then there’s the devastating impact the manufacturing process has on the environment. That’s where R:evolve Recycle is making a difference.”

Approach

Like many other businesses, the team uses their Business Profile to help R:evolve Recycle be discovered online and drive footfall. Recently, Anne-Marie updated R:evolve Recycle’s Business Profile on Google with the new Recycling attribute. This feature allows businesses to prominently display and promote their recycling schemes. For R:evolve, it’s a vital tool for connecting with new customers – especially as people become more interested in sustainable living.

Offering clothing repair and upcycling classes is another way the team at R:evolve engage their local community without overloading them with green messages. “We introduce the classes as a way to learn a new skill and meet new people. Then we start having informal conversations about how they could change their habits, or if they know the impact they’re having. You need something to hook people in.”

Results

“We’ve seen 57% more customers looking for us on Search or Maps in the last year,” says Anne-Marie. “And the number of times customers have visited our website or requested directions from our listing has more than tripled.” What’s more, the stores are now bringing in 47% more customers from outside their usual catchment area – with a 90% increase in customers aged under 16. Through their work, R:evolve Recycle are changing people’s mindsets around the clothes they buy, while also delivering clear and tangible environmental benefits. Since opening, the three stores have recycled over 80,000kg of clothing, preventing an estimated 1089 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

“We’re finding that customers are becoming much more aware about the climate and their individual impact, and more and more people are responding positively to what we’re doing,” says Anne-Marie. “They’re starting to realise that you can’t just consume and consume clothing, and then dump it somewhere else. They find us online, come into the shop and say ‘Okay, I get what you’re trying to do here’, and for us that’s fantastic.”

With their growing popularity, and added Recycling attribute on their Business Profile, the team at R:evolve Recycle are positive about the future. “Customers are saying to us they’re buying fewer new clothing than before, and they’re more aware of the impact their shopping habits have on the environment. It’s important to keep having conversations with customers, and we’re excited to continue our momentum and reach even more people” says Anne-Marie.