At Rushden Lakes, we believe that every small action we can take can make a big impact on our environment in the long term. That's why this September, we are excited to launch our "We Can Do More" campaign, aimed at raising awareness and celebrating the sustainable initiatives championed by both our brands, businesses, and our community. Here we've rounded up just a few...
Considered donations
Whether it’s the clothes you wear, the shoes you try on, or your favourite beauty products, Rushden Lakes is committed to working towards a greener future. We highly encourage shoppers to take advantage of the initiatives where you can gain points, vouchers, and peace of mind knowing your clothes will be recycled consciously.
H&M
H&M offers a voucher in return for a bag of old clothes, of any condition, at one of their designated points. The brand encourages the use of these drop-off points to ensure the clothes you do recycle are mindfully treated and looked to be re-worn, re-used, or recycled fully rather than ending up straight into landfill.
1. Take any unwanted clothes or textiles, by any brand and in any condition to H&M
2. Hand in your bag of old clothes at the cash desk and receive member points to use towards your next purchase. Easy!
Once you’ve dropped off your previously loved fashion in one of their garment collecting boxes, their business partner takes over. They empty the boxes and sort the contents!
M&S
M&S is also fostering the circular fashion economy with its ‘Shwopping’ initiative. They are encouraging you to donate your pre-loved M&S school uniform or clothing into their boxes to then receive a 20% off kids’ daywear voucher on your Sparks card. Simply donate your clothes, scan the QR code and your voucher will be loaded onto your app. The clothing is given to Oxfam who are creating an eBay store to provide affordable, good-quality uniforms no matter where you live. Since 2008 the M&S and Oxfam Shwopping partnership has collected a whopping 35 million items, contributing an estimated £23 million to Oxfam.
SCHUH
Schuh offers £5-off vouchers for shoes donated in any condition which is a fantastic way to recycle worn-out or outgrown school shoes to repurchase a new pair too! Great for growing kids in the family. The initiative is 'Sell your soles' and more information can be found here.
L'Occitane
L’Occitane also provides a 10% discount on purchases in-store when you recycle your empties of any brand with them. As a member of the TerraCycle scheme, this recycling scheme takes products to be cleaned, shredded, and transformed into a new raw material.
Primark & Cotswold Outdoor
You’ll also find donation bins for your clothing at Primark and Cotswold Outdoor so if you already considered popping your clothes through a local charity bin, why not utilise these when you’re next at Rushden Lakes, it’s one less task to think about if you’re already visiting!
Responsible shopping
Many of the brands at Rushden Lakes have been pioneering a commitment to sustainability since their inception.
The Body Shop
The Body Shop are keen advocates of cruelty-free beauty products and ethical sourcing of ingredients. Within the stores at Rushden Lakes, you can utilise their innovative refill stations where you can replenish your products whilst reducing packaging waste.
L'Occitane
Similarly, L’Occitane takes pride in its refill options including minimised packaging which has recently been reformulated to be 100% recyclable from home too. Their eco-refill formats are available for 26 of their products which offer 85% less plastic compared to the original bottles. From the plastic packaging filling land fills, to cosmetic chemicals washing away down the drain and disrupting marine life, we know our beauty routines and habits can have a huge impact. We might think we can't change the world in a big way through the beauty products that we choose, but cumulatively, a switch as simple as L'Occitane's refillable options to fight the waves of plastic pollution can make all the difference. Using eco-refills for your beauty and cosmetic products is an additional way we can all reduce plastic consumption and pollution on an enormous scale!
Boots
As a leading beauty and pharmaceutical destination, Boots want to play a part in looking after the planet by making it easier to recycle items that might be difficult to recycle elsewhere. To encourage an uplift in donations, Boots are rewarding you for donating your used beauty items.
How does it work? Bring in five empty products to the Rushden Lakes store and they’ll give you a total of 500 Boots Advantage Card points when you spend £10 or more – that’s worth £5! They’ll also track how many empties you bring back so you can see the positive impact you’re making to the planet and track your progress.
H&M
H&M is one of the leading fashion brands in the UK to put sustainability at the heart of their designs and concepts. Not only do they offer donation stations, but many of the items in the shops will be made from recycled fabrics, sustainably sourced cotton, and recycled polyester amongst many other resourceful advantages. When you buy from H&M, you’re not buying into fast fashion but being part of the circular economy, especially when participating in their recycling schemes. Look out for the ‘green labels’ that are attached to items in the store, once you spot them, you’ll see them everywhere and it will make you aware of how many items are created with recycled fabrics.
Nene Wetlands Visitor Centre
If you’re keen to make changes in the home besides your clothing choices, Nene Wetlands Visitor Centre is our hidden gem of a shop! They have set up refill stations utilising local products from shower gels, washing up liquid, hand wash, hair wash, conditioner, and more. You can pop by and refill your bottles to use exactly what you need! You can also pick up just the right amount of bird and wildlife feed too so you can nurture our environment too. Many of the gifts and products you’ll find in the shop are locally sourced and plastic-free free too!
Resourceful refreshments
As you shop, eat, and explore our destination, you’re going to want refreshments to keep you going! Costa Coffee offers 100% recyclable cups made from plant-based renewable materials, with the coffee being sourced ethically and a plan to work towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions with their suppliers across the board.
Like to drink coffee before you start your day? Bewiched are offering a 10% discount to all customers that bring in their own cup all day, every day.
Many of the restaurants on-site offer vegan options on their menus to work towards a sustainable offering. Including firm favourites such as Wagamama, Lago Lounge, Bills, and Zizzi’s just to name a few. It has been said that eating ‘vegan’ one day a week could save up to 1100 gallons of water alone.
Wagamama
Wagamama report that eating a plant-based diet could help reduce the amount of land used for agriculture by 76%. It could also reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food by up to 49%. In 2017, they launched their vegan menu and since then, they’ve championed plant-based eating, because they believe vegan and vegetarian bowls pack just as much soul as any of their meat-containing counterparts.Last year as one of their actions for positive change, they met their pledge to make 50% of the menu plant-based. meaning half of the dishes on the menu are made up of ingredients primarily from plants. Explore the menu here.
Travel
To make our sustainable efforts truly a circular approach and encompass all areas of our lifestyle, travel is also on the agenda. AJ Cycles stock a range of e-bikes to help you get a boost and increase your speed from A to B. The battery-powered bikes assist in zipping up and down hills so you can push your exercise regime or simply increase the power in your everyday travel. Whether you’re ditching the car on your commute to work or want an easier ride to the top of trails, an electric bike can offer many of the benefits of a regular bike, with motorised power on tap when you need it.
For visitors travelling by car, we have Pod Point charge points at Rushden Lakes for electric vehicles, designed to support your efforts to drive into a low-carbon future and make an impact, one journey at a time.
Fancy trying another fun way to head to your favourite shopping and leisure destination? If you haven’t already experienced VOI E-Scooters, then now is the ideal time to try something new. You can get rolling in no time! Safety comes first, so be sure to travel with a helmet, never under the influence of alcohol and travel independently (no-twinning allowed)! Please note, VOI E-scooters are strictly for over 18’s. They’re an affordable, zero-emission way to travel to Rushden Lakes and registering to use the E-scooters couldn’t be simpler. Click here to learn more and get ready to roll.
Voi is on a mission to provide sustainable, safe and reliable micro mobility for all and are working to reduce transport CO2 emissions and accelerate the transition to Net Zero transport. Their Climate Action Plan is in line with a 1.5°C degree pathway and the targets validated by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi). Opting to scoot will not just be an adventure but also a great way to be part of the global change we’d all like to see. Enjoy the thrill of these liberating scooters and the free parking on-site by the racks offered under the bus shelters.
Travelling by bus? We have just the ticket! There are plenty of bus services running between Rushden Lakes and surrounding villages and towns. This includes Wellingborough, Kettering, Northampton, Earls Barton and more. With services available all day, every day to accommodate early mornings and night travel, you’re guaranteed to find a route that will get around safely. Plan your journey with Stagecoach here. For several of our local villages we are pleased to welcome the Village Hopper (new for 2024!) to support staff and visitors accessing Rushden Lakes, please view the timetable here.
-
So, whilst the perfect day out exists here at Rushden Lakes, don’t forget to utilise the fantastic initiatives on site as well as using our recycling points throughout the walkways and leisure terrace to keep our shopping centre clean. This is also hugely beneficial to our environment with our lakeside and nature reserve being home to an array of insects, animals, and birds.
We will continue to do more, will you?
