Ward and Sharewear team up with retail giant for trial scheme
WARDrobe, the textile division of metal recycling and waste management specialist Ward, and clothing charity Sharewear have announced the launch of a pilot clothing take-back scheme with national retailer, House of Fraser, as part of a wider initiative to tackle clothing poverty.
The scheme will see five department stores partner with Sharewear’s new ‘ReLived’ scheme – a clothing collection intiative which distributes pre-loved clothing to people experiencing poverty in the UK.
The trial invites customers to bring good quality new and pre-loved clothing and shoes for donation into the store. Working together, WARDrobe and long-term partner Sharewear then collect and sort the surplus clothing to be redistributed by the charity.
With the supply of clothing to Sharewear, people can attend interviews, leading to work and training, send their children to school and keep warm, dry and healthy. Referrals can also access other Sharewear support services, move out of hostile situations and rebuild their lives.
Last year the charity helped 26,000 people across the East Midlands, Yorkshire and North London.
WARDrobe general manager, Clare Harby with operations assistant Danny Knight at the launch of the ‘ReLived’ pilot with Sharewear.
Clare Harby, General Manager at Ward, says: “Here at Ward, we’re committed to forging sustainable relationships that support the local community and our long term partnership with Sharewear and the ReLived initiative is an excellent example of that.
“We are looking forward to making a genuine difference to supporting those in need while limiting the amount of textile waste that needlessly goes to landfill.”
Louise Cooke, CEO of Sharewear, says: “Bringing major retailers on board for our take-back scheme is an excellent result. We’re so grateful for this alliance and hope it will prove a huge success so that we will be able to help more people within the local community while reducing the impact of on the environment.”
It is estimated that 350,000 tonnes, or £140 million worth of used but still wearable clothing, goes to landfill every year in the UK – this equates to more than 30% of unwanted clothing.
ReLived clothing recycling scheme window displays in House of Fraser Nottingham
Fraser Group is one of several retailers who are hoped to take part in the pilot, initially launching in its Nottingham, Sutton Coldfield, Manchester, Solihull and Birmingham stores.
For more information about WARDrobe and its partnership scheme, visit: www.ward.com/business-waste/our-services/textile-recycling/ or call 0345 337 0000.
For more information about Sharewear, visit: www.sharewearclothingscheme.org.
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