This interesting article by Lucy Rodgers for the BBC inspired us to pose the question to our donors whether they are confused about where their charity donations go – ‘Where do your old clothes go?’
We have been supporting UK charities since 1996 as a social business and are now one of the largest commercial clothing collection companies in the UK. Our hassle free clothes collection service provides the great British public with an easy way to raise money for charity and a convenient way to recycle your old clothes. We collect from over 45,000 households every week and have raised over £9 million for all our charity partners.
We are passionate about encouraging the reuse of wearable clothes. And there is no shortage in the UK of potential donations with half of the population still throwing £140 million worth of perfectly good clothing into the bin every year and as a result, textiles becoming the fastest growing household waste in the UK. As official clothing collection partner to charities without charity shops, including Macmillan Cancer Support, NSPCC and Make-A-Wish, we make it possible for them to financially benefit from these plentiful clothing donations, as well as helping to keep clothes out of landfill.
As a SCAP steering group member we have signed up to the SCAP 2020 Commitment with a mission to not only help the public to reduce their environmental impact but to also measure and report on our own environmental ‘footprint’. The waste hierarchy of ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ is a simple process for us all to follow. When we’re specifically talking textiles, it’s upon us all to reduce the amount we consume, and wear the clothes we have for longer. We support the Love Your Clothes campaign which offers lots of tips on getting the most out of the clothes you have. And when you no longer want them, we can ensure they have a second chance to shine and be worn again. We export clothes across Europe and Western Asia to second hand department stores. Here the demand is high for stylish UK clothes and gives us the opportunity to return a larger amount of profit to our charities.
We come from a position where we want to encourage the public to continue donating clothes they no longer want to legitimate charities and clothing collection companies, and trust they will handle them responsibly. If you are concerned about the legitimacy of any charity or a clothes collection, visit our website for tip on what to look out for.
We are open and honest about what we do, so please feel free to get in contact if you have any questions.
If you’ve donated to us and wondered where your clothes go, please watch our video below.
Clothes Aid – How it works from Clothes Aid on Vimeo.
