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Many happy returns: sustainable startups are turning a profit from your unwanted clothes

Now that half of our clothing purchases are sent back, reverse logistics – or the returns industry – has become big business, with companies finding ways to reduce waste

For many, the Boxing Day sales are a festive tradition, but last week major retailers from Next to John Lewis announced that their stores would stay closed as they expected customers to do their bargain hunting online. Dr Talia Hussain of the Institute for Design Innovation at Loughborough University London said: “Returns put extra vehicles on the road, causing traffic and emissions. Companies now working to transform the returns process for the better include ACS (Advanced Clothing Solutions) in Scotland, which started back in the 1990s renting out kilts and Highland formal dress.

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