We send all our orders out in sturdy recycled cardboard boxes that are made locally in Nottingham by Boxes Direct. This is a company we have used since we started, we have never imported cardboard. These boxes are made from 70% recycled material and are themselves 100% recyclable. The same firm also collects any cardboard waste we produce and recycles it for us.
We ask that anything that is unsuitable, or the wrong size is sent back to us in the same box which ensures that the item is protected whilst being shipped. If you choose not to return your garment, the cardboard can easily be recycled at home once you are finished with it.
All returns are opened by hand and the items carefully checked for damage. If the items are unworn, other than for the purposes of trying on, they are steamed, to take out the creases, and re-packed in recyclable bags, ready to be re-sold. These bags are made by epi using TDPA™ technology which means that the bags are degradable and will rot much faster when exposed to oxygen.
If the items have small faults such as a loose button, these repairs are made by our in-house seamstress. If the items are damaged beyond repair for re-sale, they are still repaired but will go into our warehouse sale of end of lines and repaired returns. Held intermittently at our site in Leicestershire, these sales are very popular locally, with the proceeds going to charity. In the last years, some of the local charities we have supported are LOROS - a hospice near us in Leicester, Coalville Stroke Club, and Crohn's & Colitis UK.
We also regularly make donations of repaired items and end of lines to charity. Throughout the pandemic, we have given significant amounts of clothing to Helpforce, and we are building up a network of NHS initiatives that we support across the country. Through donations, we have also been supporting smaller local charities and are able to help women leaving unstable homes to start again with a new wardrobe.
You may have read about online retailers sending some of their returns and unwanted stock to landfills. We never have and never will throw away a single piece of clothing. Our clothes are made with love and care and we treat their production with respect.
Made from 99% natural fabrics, our clothes are environmentally sustainable and designed to bring years of joy to the wearer. If many years down the line, a much-loved cardigan was to be thrown away, it would naturally biodegrade.
We have been working in this way since we started over 20 years ago.