Fast fashion retailers increase return fees to reduce waste

Three in four unsellable returned items of clothing are dumped in landfill or burnt as fashion retailers scramble to reduce the cost of consumers sending goods back. Fast fashion firms, including Zara and Asos, are clamping down on shoppers who return garments ordered online by reducing promoted items or introducing fees for items sent back.
Only 25 per cent of unsellable returns are recycled, while 50 per cent end up in landfill and 25 per cent are incinerated, according to Statista.