John Lewis has allied with the Timpson Group to help customers fix their clothes, clean them, and avoid throwing them away. The group will initially offer this service in five shops. It is projected to lessen waste and help the environment. This initiative will also provide jobs for ex-offenders.

Do you have a favorite jacket which has torn slightly or maybe a cushion cover with a broken zipper? Now, you won’t have to throw them away! John Lewis is collaborating with the Timpson Group in order to help repair and clean your clothes and household items. This is one of the new services, starting in five stores, that all aim at reducing waste and helping the environment.

From Monday, John Lewis will let customers take in their clothes to alter, clean, or mend them. It’s all part of a new service to try to get people to repair rather than buy something new. Repairing your clothes and other items will reduce waste, which is great for the environment. Only extending the life of a garment by nine months can reduce its carbon, water, and waste footprints by up to 30%, reports Wrap—the charity behind the circular economy.

The cheapest John Lewis repair will be £10.95; this can be fixing small rips and tears or fitting a new half-pocket. If you have a cushion cover with a broken zip, it will cost £28.50 to fix. With more expensive items, like restoring a handbag, it costs £99.95. You can bring items from any brand to be fixed.

A new 16-week trial in five John Lewis stores – at Oxford, Liverpool, Cheadle, Milton Keynes, and Welwyn – is under way after the retailer partnered with 200-year-old dry-cleaning firm Johnsons, part of the Timpson Group. Timpson is best known for key-cutting and shoe-mending services and also owns the photo chain Snappy Snaps.

Timpson Group has an excellent record in employing ex-offenders. The number of former prisoners that they employ tops 1,200—over 10% of the firm’s workforce. That earned their chief executive, James Timpson, the shadow minister for prisons under Keir Starmer after Labour’s big election win.

Both John Lewis and Timpson are touting the green benefits of repairing garments and other items in the home. It helps reduce waste and is better for the environment to fix instead of replace.

Will Lankston, managing director of Timpson Direct, said: “Alterations have always been one of the core parts of our business, and we have been seeing this increase over the past few years as more customers are being really conscience-conscious about the environment and wanting to repair and bring back to life some of their well-loved garments and accessories.”.

John Lewis is learning from this trial who the customers wanting to use the service are, and what kinds of items they need to be fixed. This will help them build on the service and make it more useful for everyone.

So, if you’ve got that special article of clothing or something around the house that’s crying out for a bit of TLC, do get yourself down to one of the five John Lewis stores and try out this new service. You’ll be helping the environment and giving your beloved items a whole new lease on life!