Buchanan Galleries champions Zero Waste Week with retailer initiatives for conscious consumers
01 Sep 2025
Buchanan Galleries is marking Zero Waste Week (1 – 5 September 2025) by showcasing the centre’s wide range of sustainable retail initiatives - from recycling schemes, pre-loved shopping opportunities, and community initiatives – all designed to reduce waste and protect the planet.
Zero Waste Week is an annual awareness campaign dedicated to cutting down on landfill waste by encouraging recycling and sustainable living. Buchanan Galleries retailers are already leading the way with programmes that encourage more mindful shopping habits – from beauty and fashion recycling schemes to second-hand shopping concepts – promoting more eco-conscious choices while rewarding customers along the way.
Sustainable initiatives at Buchanan Galleries include*
- John Lewis & Partners - BeautyCycle & FashionCycle
Shoppers can recycle five or more empty beauty products and claim £5 off their next purchase with the BeautyCycle scheme (exclusive to My John Lewis members). The collected “empties” are transformed into new products or even materials used to build children’s playgrounds. Similarly, FashionCycle encourages customers to recycle pre-loved clothing in exchange for discounts in-store in a bid to help tackle textile waste.
- Charity Super.Mkt - Second-Hand Fashion with Impact
The ‘department store for second-hand style’, gives curated collections of high-quality, affordable second-hand fashion, footwear and accessories a second life, whilst raising funds for charities such as Shelter, Cancer Research, Age UK and TRAID. Since launching at Buchanan Galleries, over 14.700kg of fashion has been saved from landfill and more than 136 tonnes of CO2 diverted from the atmosphere – the equivalent of driving 502,669 miles or planting 441 trees.
- GET Free Books – Promoting Literacy & Preventing Waste
Scotland’s first GET Free Books store allows visitors to take home up to three second-hand books free of charge, helping promote literacy and community learning while reducing book waste. Stocked entirely from community donations, it provides a sustainable solution for unwanted books while making reading accessible to everyone.
- Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity – Affordable Pre-loved Babywear
This volunteer-run shop offers high-quality, pre-loved baby and toddler clothing, along with larger items such as cots and bouncers. Every purchase helps fund life-changing projects, services and medical equipment at Glasgow Children’s Hospital, to support children with serious illness and their families.
- Boots – In-store Recycling Rewards
Boots customers can bring in empty beauty, health, and wellness products to its in-store recycling point and earn 500 Advantage Card points (when spending £10 or more), rewarding eco-friendly behaviour.
- The Perfume Shop – Bottle Recycling
Every unwanted perfume bottle recycled at The Perfume Shop earns customers 15% off their next purchase. The brand also donates the cost of planting a tree through veritree for each bottle, combining recycling with reforestation.
- Schuh – Shoe Recycling
With children quickly outgrowing shoes and old trainers often destined for landfill, Schuh offers customers £5 off their next purchase when they recycle worn-out shoes in store. Each pair is carefully recycled, giving unwanted footwear a new life while reducing harmful waste.
Kathy Murdoch, Centre Director at Buchanan Galleries, said “Sustainability is a priority for us and our retailers, and we want to inspire our visitors to reduce waste and make sustainable choices, not just during Zero Waste Week but every day of the year.
“From innovative recycling schemes to second-hand fashion and bookshops, we’re proud to be home to retailers who are tackling waste in creative and impactful ways. These initiatives help our visitors make more conscious choices, while enjoying meaningful rewards and supporting important community causes.”
For more information about Buchanan Galleries, please visit: https://buchanangalleries.co.uk/
*T&Cs apply. Please see individual retailers for more information.
