Crisis trials new instore recycling scheme to help shoppers cut down on clothing waste

Scheme aims to cut down on huge amount of wasted clothing, as 1.6 billion items of unworn clothes sits in UK homes

National homelessness charity Crisis is collaborating with the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) to trial a new approach to recycling in a bid to reduce clothing waste.

The trial, which forms part of the ACT project led by UKFT, is currently taking place in the charity’s Peckham and Elephant & Castle stores in London until September and aims to support customers to better recycle their clothes and create more sustainable solutions to fabric waste.

When dropping in donations, shoppers are often unaware of which items in their wardrobe class as 'wearable' and 'unwearable'. This can lead to high volumes of clothes that cannot be resold – due to being ripped or having shrunk for example – being unnecessarily wasted.

This scheme aims to tackle this issue by educating shoppers on the difference between wearable and unwearable clothing, helping customers to sort their donations when they come in store. Customers will then also be able to take away helpful resources so they can pre-sort their items before making donations in future.

It’s estimated that homes across the UK contain over 1.6 billion items of unworn clothing, many of which have the potential to be used, re-used or recycled. Through trialling the sorting scheme, Crisis and UKFT hope to close the loop and see more fabrics being recycled and repurposed.

With homelessness rising, Crisis has seen a 25% increase in demand for its service across Great Britain. By shopping or donating items customers are ensuring the organisation can continue its work to end homelessness – something the charity says is needed now more than ever.

Paula Floyd, E-Commerce Manager, and leading on the project at Crisis, said: “Homelessness is at record levels. That’s why it’s so important that our Shop from Crisis stores can do everything they can to help create a future free from homelessness.

“Clothing waste is a real problem, both in terms of its environmental impact and the value of the clothes lost. Pre-sorting clothes will allow our customers to cut down on waste while supporting our goal of ending homelessness for good.

“Working collaboratively means that it is easier to find innovative solutions in the fashion and textile industry. This is why being part of the ACT Take-Back project, with the support of UKFT, can be a key step to changing consumer's mindsets and make it easier to recycle.”