Marks &Spencer launches 'shwopping' scheme

Britain's biggest clothing retailer is launching a campaign to stop one in four items of clothing bought in the UK ending up in the bin.

Marks & Spencer wants customers to hand over an old or unwanted garment whenever they buy a new one, to encourage a phenomenon which has been given the name "shwopping". It wants to kick-start a culture which could allow unwanted items to be resold, reused or recycled by its charity partner Oxfam.

But the move has sparked fears that smaller charity shops could miss out on donations. Cath Lee, chief executive of the Small Charities Coalition, said: "It's great to encourage recycling in this way, but it would be a great shame if an unintended consequence is that the shops of smaller, less well known charities receive fewer donations as a result.

The scheme is part of M&S's Plan A programme and an expansion of a partnership with Oxfam and has seen more than 10m items donated, worth an estimated £8m. Donors handing old M&S clothing into Oxfam stores received a £5 M&S voucher. Shoppers will be encouraged to take their unwanted garments into all M&S stores in the UK and leave them in recycling bins by the tills, although this time they are being given no financial incentive.

M&S has already created a coat made almost entirely from recycled wool and cashmere from damaged clothing returned to stores. The clothes are collected and sent to a specialist fabric maker, where they are reduced to fibre, cleaned and spun into wool to make the item.

Question 1. Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.
a) You don't need to buy at the stores to leave a piece of clothing.
b) Some people are worried there will be less donations given to small charity shops.
c) M&S and Oxfam have just started this relation to attract more donations.
d) Customers will get money in return to their unwanted items.

Question 2. Answer the following questions in your own words.
a) What is the main purpose of the programme?
b) Why is this programme different from the one they had before?

Question 3. Find a word or a phrase in the text that means the same as
a) give (par.2)
b) boost (par. 3)
c) remuneration (par. 4)

Question 4. Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning
a) Cath Lee said: "It's great to encourage recycling in this way.
Cath Lee said…………………………………………….
b) Donors who handed old M&S clothing into Oxfam stores received a £5 M&S voucher.
If donors.......................................................
c) The clothes are collected and sent to a specialist fabric maker. They...............................................................

Question 5. Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:
Do you think we are too worried about fashion?