Reduce - Reuse - Recycle

 

We launched the UniCycle project in 2019 to create more awareness of the negative impact of clothing waste and its effects on the environment. This project exists to inspire and motivate our customers to reduce waste through giving.

We want to make the circular economy rewarding by highlighting the benefits of re-using and recycling clothes and how it can positively impact the lives of others.

If we extended the useful lifespan of half of our clothing by just 9 months, we could reduce the carbon impact of the fashion industry by 27%! Given fashion/textiles contribute 10% of all global emissions, that’s one big step in the right direction.

Through the UniCycle project, we hope to encourage schools, teachers, students, parents and carers to donate any pre-loved schoolwear and accessories that still have years of life left in them.

School uniforms have typically been a real problem to recycle, especially if they have had embroidered logos on them. We aim to get around this by qualifying resaleable pre-loved clothing and offering these products to low-income families or families in need. Items of clothing will be checked for defects and if repairable, the necessary work will be carried out to ensure that the item is as good as new.

 

 

The UniCycle project aims to address the very real problem of clothing waste and child poverty in Thurrock.

We believe that recycling clothes can directly impact the lives of children living in border-line poverty.

We believe poverty for a child means that they might not have the uniform they need for school, good food to eat at home or warm clothing when it’s cold. They are unlikely to be able to do fun things in the school holidays like swimming or visiting new places. We believe they can feel embarrassed about making new friends because they feel ‘different’ and have little hope in what the future holds for them. They are also more likely to suffer with mental health problems and low self-esteem.

Figures released in January 2018 provided a new child poverty map of the UK. The new figures reveal that there are now constituencies within the UK where more than half of children are growing up in poverty – compared to one in ten, in the areas with the lowest child poverty rates.

 

See our full range of pre-loved schoolwear and accessories here.

You can request our full PDF presentation on the UniCycle Project by contacting us.