Dunelm has teamed up with The Salvation Army to launch a trial online textile take-back scheme as it looks to help tackle textile waste. The move will allow customers who visit Dunelm.com to generate a free shipping label, choose a courier, and select a convenient place to drop off their used home textiles, which can come from any brand. These will then be sent to The Salvation Army to be resold or recycled, with profits retained by the charity for its good works. Acceptable items include anything from bedding and cushions to throws and blankets, as well as unwanted clothing.

The trial is part of “Act UK,” a two-year project led by the UK Fashion & Textile Associations to support the transition from the manual sorting of clothes and textiles that can’t be resold to a highly automated sorting and preprocessing system. The trial builds on Dunelm’s existing store-based textile take-back scheme that is in operation at 175 stores.

"Dunelm's latest initiative is a valuable addition to its existing takeback scheme, which allows customers to recycle textiles in-store. By offering both a physical drop-off point and an accessible online option, the scheme creates a more integrated and robust recycling solution. It addresses the preferences of 44% of consumers who favour retailers with in-store recycling areas (see Ethical Retailing-UK, 2024) while also catering to the 67% of homeware shoppers who purchase homewares online (see Homewares Retailing-UK, 2023).

The new online takeback scheme is convenience-driven, appealing to consumers' demands for simplicity and ease- and can serve as a powerful motivator, encouraging consumers to recycle more consistently."