Have you ever wondered what happens to the clothes you return to us?

Pictured below is me, Camilla, with three full bags of returns next to the taxi I had to take to get them back to our store. Usually we don't receive many returns, making it possible for me to just walk over to the post office and pick them up. But this winter, sales escalated and so did the amount of returns. All of a sudden I was having to take a taxi a week to be able to pick up the overwhelming amount of packages.

After the picture was taken, I opened the boxes, looked over the garments, steamed what was needed and put everything back in stock, ready to be sent to a new home. This is how we handle all returns and exchanges. If a garment for some reason cannot be sold again, it is put in the recycling box. That way it is turned into new textiles or used in repairs of other garments.

Unfortunately, we know that many companies throw away their returns. Around 2.25 billion kilograms worth of returns are thrown away every year in the U.S. In other words, billions of garments end up in the trash before they are even worn.

But there are solutions. Next time you want to order something online, check with the retailer how they handle their returns. That way you can make a conscious choice and help reduce the amount of returns that are thrown away.

P.S. The best way to avoid returns being thrown away is obviously to return less 😉