As the balance starts to shift away from working from home, businesses are now looking for ways to double down on the benefits of being in the office. Social events and the opportunity to relax with colleagues are one of the primary reasons that people want to re-engage with office life – JLL, 2023. A clothes swap is a new and alternative way to engage with employees; providing a valuable opportunity to update wardrobes and demonstrating tangible commitment to realising your ESG goals.  It can even support CSR initiatives too.

Let’s look at how it works.

A clothes swap is an event whereby people bring in high quality items of clothing that they no longer wear but are still in great condition. They receive digital tokens for their items depending on the brand, condition and quality and then they shop at the curated event using their tokens instead of currency.

1. Create new reason to lure people back to work

Luring people from the comfort of their homes and back to the office can be challenging but the opportunity to attend a clothes swap within their workplace can inject fresh life to this environment and provide a fun experience for colleagues to experience together. It reinforces a sense of community and provides something different beyond just work drinks, coffee bars and free lunch. And according to new research by Brookfield Properties, having an environmentally friendly office led to 93% of respondents saying they felt happy in their jobs (compared to just 55% of those who aren’t in an environmentally friendly office).

2. Navigating the Cost of Living Crisis

It’s one of the most talked about issues at the moment and a clothes swap is one of the most economical ways of updating your wardrobe. Whether it’s buying a ticket, or attending a free swap, getting up to five new pieces of clothing for less than £15 is a pretty tough thing to achieve in most shopping circumstances. With the cost of living crisis weighing heavy on a lot of your employees minds and mounting pressure on wages to increase, why not support them in other ways – they get to refresh their wardrobes at low cost and in some cases for example workplaces, at no cost to them and in an economical way for you.

3. Championing Environmental Change

Incorporating environmental consciousness into business practices is no longer a choice but a responsibility. To make our wardrobes sustainable, we need to cut how many new clothes we buy by 75% (Guardian, 2022). Running a clothes swap event supports your commitment to sustainable practices and actively demonstrates environmental change. It’s also an opportunity to align with your ESG goals, whether it’s capturing tangible statistics from the carbon saving you’ve delivered or supporting governmental initiatives towards recycling and reuse.  By running a swap you’re proving there is value in the circular economy and actively participating in ways these become a reality.

4. Driving a positive workplace culture

Employee well-being and culture is now paramount for any business. In fact, according to a Glassdoor study, 60% of millennials are now more likely to choose to work for a business based on their culture, than their salary. If you want to attract the best talent, and keep it, you’re going to have to think of new ways to do this. Running a clothes swap is a great way of fostering a positive culture and offering something unique. Promoting things like this in recruitment efforts and in your marketing will boost company reputation and give positive exposure about your company’s innovative, socially conscious and dedication to employee wellbeing.

5. Deliver on CSR initiatives

Support your commitments to community and CSR by donating remaining swap stock to your chosen charities, raising money alongside the swap or championing other charitable causes which focus on fashion waste. Things like Oxfam’s Second Hand September campaign, are a great way to shine a light on how the fashion industry needs to change and ways people can get involved.

With all these elements driving towards a happier workplace culture, overwhelmingly research proves how happier employees are also more productive (WEF, 2019). So good for your staff is also good for business.