A fifth of UK retailers have tightened their returns policies over the past year , with a further fifth planning to implement similar strategies within 12 months , according to a survey by Barclaycard . The trend is a backlash against ' serial returners ' , with some retailers purchasing items to return once before returning them for a second , while others intentionally over - order . The policy of free returns , which many retailers expect as standard , is hurting retailers ' business , but also has an environmental impact . Fashion retailer Gap reported average emissions of 3.8 kg per delivery , with total emissions reaching 236,720 mt last year .
A fifth of UK retailers have tightened their returns policies over the past year, with a further fifth planning to implement similar strategies within 12 months, according to a survey by Barclaycard. The trend is a backlash against 'serial returners', with some shoppers purchasing items to wear once before returning them for a refund, while others intentionally over-order. The policy of free returns, which many consumers expect as standard, is hurting retailers' revenue, but also has an environmental impact. Fashion retailer Asos reported average emissions of 3.8 kg per delivery, with total emissions reaching 236,720 mt last year.