Free returns on the out as fast fashion retailers introduce a charge – Boohoo joins Zara, Next and Uniqlo in push to reduce environmental harm
- Online fashion retailer Boohoo angered customers in July by doing away with free returns on unwanted items – but it isn’t the only one introducing paid returns
- Fast fashion is moving away from free returns to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the amount of clothing that ends up in landfills
Online fast fashion website Boohoo has become the latest retailer to cancel free returns, angering its customers.
Many people have become accustomed to free returns, free shipping and the general convenience of online shopping that has become the norm during the coronavirus pandemic.
“A single return may not seem like much, but consumers are often unaware of the sheer scale of the problem, which damages our planet and hits their pockets,” said Whitney Cathcart, co-founder of 3DLook, the company behind virtual fitting room YourFit.
Anisha Kukreja, a recent university graduate and an occasional online shopper, said she usually steers clear of sites with a return fee and was not aware of any repercussions from returning online shopping duds. “I didn’t know about this,” says Kukreja. “How is it bad?”
If Gen Z is so stressed about climate change, why buy so much fast fashion?
Experts point out that returning unwanted online purchases is not in fact free. The monetary cost of shipping and returns is baked into the prices shoppers pay – and there is a big environmental cost to pay.
The average American has been estimated to throw away 37kg of textiles a year, of which 85 per cent ends up in landfills, according to the World Economic Forum. Clothing returned by online shoppers also ends up in landfills.
In May, Boohoo said customers had returned items at a rate higher than before the pandemic.
Consumers often believe that their returns go right back to the retailer. However, these goods are often sold to a discounter at a fraction of their original price.
Ending frее returns could support sustainable efforts while reducing the cost to consumers
Brands calculate in meticulous detail how much stock is likely to be returned and factor the cost of that into their prices.
Online returns cost retailers an average of 21 per cent of the original order value, according to a survey in April by global shipping and mailing company Pitney Bowes. So consumers pay that cost with each item they buy online.
In the UK alone, that is about £7 billion (US$8.4 billion) annually.
Charging customers a fee for returns makes the cost explicit. This could deter them from frivolous online buying and make them more mindful and eco-friendly shoppers.
“If the fee is to deter people from returning often, then good move, but make it clear on the website,” says Kukreja. “The consumer will also learn something.”
Cathcart says: “With brands and customers united in their pursuit of a greener fashion industry, ending frее returns could support sustainable efforts while reducing the cost to consumers.”
