From North London to Ghana – Our Local Hospice Shops Go on A Global Journey to Support Sustainability
Fast fashion is creating a huge problem for the planet. The world produces 92 million tons of textile waste every year with 87% of materials used to make clothing ending up in landfill according to expert sources*. That’s the equivalent of one truckload every second! And just 1% of clothes are recycled into new garments. The problems this creates are many including excessive water use, chemical pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and landfill overflow. The good news is that all 18 local North London Hospice charity shops have just become a part of the solution.
Having always been committed to sustainability, North London Hospice shops saved 734,384 items from going to landfill last year alone, but now they are going one big step further through a ground-breaking partnership with Sait Recycling.
Items donated to the hospice’s shops are a vital source of income for the charity, helping to pay towards the free end of life care of 3,500 patients a year from North London. Regrettably though, the hospice does have to discard donated items which are not suitable for sale. Now there is an answer to this problem which has taken Emily Cronin, Retail Transformation Manager at North London Hospice all the way to Ghana to oversee the initiative.
Sait Recycling specialises in the sustainable recycling of all types of garments and footwear, transforming surplus textiles into high-quality recycled fibres to support a circular fashion economy. They collect from charity shops and organisations across the UK paving the way for an exciting international collaboration. Through this partnership, items are sent to Ghanaian traders, establishing full traceability of textiles from UK charity shops to markets across Africa.
The trip was organised and paid for by Landfills2Landmarks, who are revolutionary in their transformative work with UK and Ghanaian textile traders. Emily led workshops for students, met with the Ghanaian Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, visited fabric factories, attended a conference and worked with volunteers at Jamestown beach.
Redefining the global textiles future, the collaboration will see the introduction of textile traceability. Through software tracking, the hospice will soon be able to follow the donated textiles beyond the shop floor, building a more transparent, ethical, sustainable and circular supply chain.
Emily Cronin said: “North London Hospice will be sending 195 tonnes of clothing and 28 tonnes of shoes to Sait recycling every year. I am thrilled to be part of this global project with Sait, dedicated to addressing the urgent challenge of textile waste and advancing the circular economy innovation. The Landfills2landmarks conference brought together global leaders and industry stakeholders to drive meaningful change. It’s exciting to be part of this vital journey.”
North London Hospice’s Director of Retail, Peter Brook, commented: “This is a shining example of the transformative power of sustainable charity retail. As an organisation we are so proud to support Emily as she leads the way in us creating a more responsible future for our sector. This visionary initiative is not only good for our charity but will also set the sustainability standard for other charity retailers in the UK.”
Sait Recycling is dedicated to significantly reducing the environmental footprint of the fashion industry by pioneering carbon-neutral recycling practices and achieving 100% landfill diversion for the materials they recover.
*Statistics provided thanks to sustainability website TheRoundup.org from sources UNEP, Global Fashion Agenda, Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Science Advances.
