Buy. Return. Repeat ? What really happens when we send back unwanted clothes?

The rise and rise of online fashion stores - and their generous returns policies - has created a new industry dedicated to dealing with our unwanted clothes. But what damage is being done - to our planet and to retailers - by our boomerang shopping habits? In the past, the post office has been an embarrassing place for Megan Hitt. The 25-year-old nurse from south Wales recalls a time, a few years ago, when she had to approach the counter with six different Asos parcels in her arms, her "shopping addiction exposed for everyone to see". Since university, Hitt has been a prolific online shopper - buying several outfits at a time, picking one to keep and returning the rest. This time, when she handed over her parcels to be scanned, she was ashamed that there were so many. Still, she knew she would be back soon - she already had another Asos order on the way.Buying and returning clothes online is part of the fabric of modern life. For years, Hitt didn't think much about it: "I used to buy and return like it didn't matter." At her worst, she'd order three parcels a week; sometimes, if she knew she'd wear something only once, on a night out, she'd keep the tags on and send it back. "It was something we all used to do," Hitt says of her university days. "In a house of six girls, four did it all the time." Continue reading...