ALL parents know the pain of forking out for school uniforms only for children to quickly grow out of their new clothes.

Now a social enterprise is offering low cost uniforms that also help the environment by reducing pollution and carbon emissions.

ApparelXchange CIC has set up shop in St Enoch Centre offering a range of school uniforms for primary aged children, as well as jackets and sportswear.

Izzie Eriksen, founding director of ApparelXchange, said: "We’re really excited to be setting up in St Enoch Centre to provide an easily accessible hub for parents in Glasgow, and with a drive on circularity within the centre, it’s the perfect fit.

"School uniforms have a huge impact on the environment causing the same pollution as fast fashion, with children quickly growing out of their clothes before being scrapped.

"It’s vital that we are combatting the level of waste clothing created from school uniforms with a reuse agenda that prevents garments going to landfill and reduces our needs for more new garments.

"Through our new store in St Enoch Centre, we’re hoping to encourage families around Glasgow to opt for sustainability when getting ready for back to school and will be providing repair sessions for all ages once we get settled in."

Since launching in March 2018, ApparelXchange has reused 65 per cent of the 10,000 items of clothing processed, while the further 35 per cent that were not in a condition to sell on were recycled.

This is the equivalent to saving energy to make 450,943 cups of tea, taking 10 cars off the road in the UK for a year or saving 17 return flights from Edinburgh to New York.

Once donated, the clothes are sorted and washed to ensure they meet quality expectations, with both pre-worn and new garments available.

The items on offer range from summer dresses to blazers for five-year olds ready to start school, to those going on to start secondary school at age 13.

Shoppers at St Enoch Centre will now be able to access the low-cost alternative in time for the new term as pupils head back to school.

Anne Ledgerwood, general manager of St Enoch Centre, said: "As we work with our retailers to promote circularity and sustainability, we’ve been able to launch some great initiatives throughout the centre.

"ApparelXchange is the latest step towards a circular model, reducing waste levels to ensure that we focus on reuse.

"ApparelXchange is a great initiative, and with children heading back to school within the coming days, it’s the perfect time to be launching the store."

The ApparelXchange store can be found on level 1 opposite Debenhams.