The trial, which is part of the ACT project led by UKFT, is currently being conducted at Crisis’s Peckham and Elephant & Castle stores in London and will run until September.
In a statement, Crisis emphasized that the goal of the scheme is to encourage customers to recycle their clothes more effectively and to develop sustainable solutions for fabric waste. The initiative focuses on educating customers about the difference between ‘wearable’ and ‘unwearable’ clothing, helping them to sort their donations appropriately when they visit the stores. Customers will also receive resources to help them pre-sort their items before making future donations, making the recycling process more efficient.
The need for such an initiative is underscored by estimates from the not-for-profit organization Wrap, which indicate that homes across the UK contain over 1.6 billion items of unworn clothing. Many of these items could be reused or recycled, yet they often end up as waste. By trialing this sorting scheme, Crisis and UKFT hope to close the loop on fabric waste, ensuring more textiles are recycled and repurposed rather than discarded.
Paula Floyd, e-commerce manager at Crisis and a lead on the project, highlighted the significant impact of clothing waste on both the environment and the value of lost clothing. “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,” Floyd said.
Floyd also stressed the importance of collaboration in addressing these issues, noting that working together with UKFT as part of the ACT Take-Back project is crucial for finding innovative solutions within the fashion and textile industry. “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 consumers’ mindsets and making it easier to recycle,” she added.
Through this initiative, Crisis and UKFT aim not only to reduce the environmental impact of clothing waste but also to contribute to the charity’s broader mission of ending homelessness. By promoting sustainable practices and encouraging better recycling habits, the partnership hopes to make a lasting difference in both the fashion industry and the communities Crisis serves.