M&S in Milton Keynes offers Sparks customers rewards for 'Shwopping' their pre-loved clothes

Shoppers at M&S Milton Keynes are in for a treat thanks to a new incentive to reward M&S Sparks customers when they donate pre-loved clothes to its Shwopping partnership with Oxfam.

From next week M&S Milton Keynes customers can simply scan the QR code at the in-store “Shwopping Point” and a free treat will automatically be added to their Sparks loyalty scheme account via the M&S app.

The incentive encourages customers to cut their carbon footprint as part of M&S's reset of its Plan A sustainability programme which pledges to cut its carbon footprint by a third by 2025 with the aim to be fully net zero by 2040.

More than 35 million items of clothing, worth an estimated £23 million for Oxfam’s vital work across the world, have been donated since M&S launched its Shwopping partnership with Oxfam in 2008.

Pre-loved clothing is either resold, reused or recycled with nothing going to waste.

Justin Brook, M&S regional manager,said: “We’re proud to have been working with Oxfam for 13 years now to offer Shwopping to our customers. We know that customers care a lot about tackling climate change, so I’m really excited to be offering these new Shwopping rewards in our stores, making it easier and more rewarding for customers to enjoy low carbon lives.”

“Claiming your treat is really simple – just bring your pre-loved clothes with you on your next visit. Drop off your clothes and scan the QR code at our in-store “Shwopping Point” and a free treat will automatically be added to your Sparks account via the M&S app.”

M&S has reset its Plan A sustainability programme, with a singular focus on becoming a net zero Scope 3 business across its entire supply chain and products by 2040.

The retailer launched Plan A in 2007 and became the first major retailer to reach carbon neutral status in 2012. With the scale of the climate challenge bigger and more urgent than ever, Steve Rowe, M&S chief executive, has written to its global supplier base and hosted a business-wide event to rally its 70,000 colleagues behind plans to put a sustainable future at the heart of its transformation strategy.