John Lewis targets old sofas

OLD and unwanted sofas are to be reused and recycled by retailer John Lewis to help deprived households.

The retailer is to create its first not-for-profit service in conjunction with the Furniture Re-use Network to collect furniture from customers’ homes and redistribute it to those in need.

It is expected that the scheme, which is to be rolled out nationwide later this month and which will be funded by a fee collected from the customer, will result in 65 per cent of returned sofas being reused, 20 per cent repaired or refurbished and then reused and 15 per cent broken down and recycled.

“We are delighted to partner with local charities and help families nationwide in accessing much-needed furniture,” commented Stephen Cawley, head of sustainability at John Lewis.