• M&S partners with SOJO to offer a dedicated clothing repair service, accessible through an online hub.
• Initiative supported by £1m Plan A Accelerator Fund to drive the circular economy.
• Customers can book a variety of repair services starting from £5.

Marks & Spencer (M&S) has unveiled a new clothing repair service in partnership with SOJO, supported by the £1m Plan A Accelerator Fund. This initiative is designed to reduce textile waste and promote the circular economy by making clothing repairs more accessible.

Service Details:

Starting in August, M&S customers can book repairs through an online hub called “M&S Fixed by SOJO.” The services range from zip replacements to invisible knitwear mending, all available through a simple online form. Repairs start at just £5, with garments being sent to SOJO’s in-house repair team and returned directly to customers within 7-10 days.

Partnership Vision:

Richard Price, M&S Managing Director of Clothing & Home, stated, “At M&S, exceptional quality products are at the heart of everything we do, and we want to ensure that all our clothes are too good to waste. Through the launch of our repair service, we’re making it even easier for customers to give their clothes another life, whether they are using our new repair service or our long-standing clothes recycling scheme.”

Josephine Phillips, Founder and CEO of SOJO, emphasized, “It has always been a core mission of ours at SOJO to make repairing clothes mainstream and to extend the life of as many garments as possible. I’m so excited that M&S has chosen to launch a repair service with us at SOJO as it’s an incredibly big step towards that mission. As a brand that has remained a firm constant in almost every household and wardrobe in Britain, this partnership will truly bring easy, accessible, and convenient repairs to the masses. Beyond that, as one of the longest-standing British brands, having M&S join our Pledge to Repair adds significant weight to our call for industry-wide change here in the UK.”

Circular Economy Efforts:

The “M&S Fixed by SOJO” hub supports M&S’s Plan A roadmap, which aims to drive the circular economy by reducing textile waste. According to WRAP, a climate action NGO, 1.6 billion items of clothing in UK wardrobes are unworn, averaging 31 items per person. By offering repair services, M&S encourages customers to give their clothes “Another Life.”

M&S’s new “Another Life” platform brings together all its circularity services, including the Beauty Takeback Scheme with Handle and the long-standing clothes donation partnership with Oxfam, now rebranded from “Shwopping.” The platform will also feature 60-second “how-to” videos on garment care, created by M&S’s team of in-house technical experts.

Related Article: Oatly Moves Into Sustainable Fashion With Vintage Clothes Drop: With More To Come

Industry Impact:

Last week, M&S published its annual ESG Report 2024, revealing significant progress on its Plan A roadmap. The Plan A Accelerator Fund, which supports rapid action against climate change, has also funded innovative projects like an online postal trial with Oxfam. This trial enabled customers to donate both wearable and unwearable clothing directly to Oxfam for resale, reuse, or recycling.

In conclusion, M&S’s new repair service with SOJO marks a significant step towards sustainability. By making it easier for customers to repair and extend the life of their clothing, M&S is fostering a shift towards a more circular economy and reducing textile waste.