Adidas launches 'take-back and resale' service

Adidas customers will be able to return and trade old trainers and clothes for e-gift cards and club points instead of sending them to landfill using a new circular economy platform.

The retailer's Infinite Play service, available through a mobile app, makes it quick and easy for customers by offering free collections, with old items later resold or recycled.

Adidas said that increasing the active life of all clothing by nine months would reduce the annual carbon, water and waste footprints of UK clothing by 20-30% each.

The retailer's Infinite Play service, available through a mobile app, makes it quick and easy for customers by offering free collections, with old items later resold or recycled.

The London Waste and Recycling Board (LWARB) and QSA Partners have joined forces with Adidas to deliver the Infinite Play service.

Our customers have an increased awareness of the impacts of their consumption and the challenges we face as a planet, and they're asking how they can make a difference, Adidas director, David Quass, said.

Teaming up with LWARB and QSA partners, we developed adidas Infinite Play to give our customers a better choice so that together we can share the responsibility to reduce our carbon, water and waste footprint.“

Adidas said that a take-back and resale service like Infinite Play is just one of several circular business models companies can use to create more value and profit while reducing their environmental impact.

This comes after a recent study found that 75% of consumers surveyed thought sustainability was important or extremely important, and more than a third of had already switched from their preferred brand to another due to their green credentials.

Take-back and resale services like adidas Infinite Play help businesses to build customer loyalty while also mitigating some of the worst climate change impacts of the textiles industry, said James Close, head of LWARB's Circular London Programme.

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