One Stop is celebrating its 10-year partnership with The Salvation Army with some impressive statistics which show the strength of the relationship and how much it has helped vulnerable people across the UK.
There are currently over 200 clothing banks located at One Stop stores around the UK which have collected a staggering 7,718 tonnes of donated textiles, which is the equivalent of approx. 30 million items!
The Salvation Army provides specialist support for survivors and potential victims of modern slavery, shelter for those experiencing homelessness and so much more. The trading arm of the charity – the Salvation Army Trading Company (SATCoL) – which operates the clothing banks, raises money through its nationwide reuse and repurposing schemes. With the support of the British public, SATCoL has donated £80 million to The Salvation Army in the last ten years alone.
In addition to the clothing banks stationed outside of several One Stop stores, customers can also find The Salvation Army food bank points inside to purchase extra items for those in need.
One Stop managing director, Stephanie Wood, commented: “Over the past decade, our partnership with SATCoL has made a huge difference to the communities we serve – it shows how much we can achieve when we work together.
“We are really proud to celebrate this incredible milestone of saving 30 million items of clothing from landfill, and what makes this achievement even more special is being able to reinvest funds back into our communities, to foster positive change around us, and help create a brighter future for all.”
So, what happens to all the clothes and textiles collected? Putting your once, much-loved, favourite jumper into a large clothing bank, never to be seen again, will give your item of clothing a whole new lease of life. Higher grade textiles will be distributed to The Salvation Army’s 240 charity shops across the country, where they will be resold and worn again.
Textiles deemed as unwearable can be turned into wipes, flocking for mattresses and so much more. Whilst other clothing items are processed through SATCoL’s Fibersort technology, designed to close the loop for fibre-to-fibre recycling.
SATCoL has also, recently announced a joint venture named Project Re:claim between corporate wear specialists Project Plan B and Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd. The partnership has unveiled plans for a world-first commercial-scale, post-consumer polyester recycling plant. This additional new technology is the next step towards SATCoL’s ambition to create the UK’s first fibre farm, with the aim of massively scaling up textile-to-textile recycling of all types of materials.
So, great things can happen when you pop your clothes into SATCoL clothing banks provided at One Stop stores and other sites around the UK. Clothing can also be taken directly into the store and picked up at the same time as the clothing bank.
The profits received from the resale of the donated items, will be given to The Salvation Army to continue to support the great work they do across the UK.
Justin Frost, national senior account manager at Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd, comments: “SATCoL are delighted to be celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the partnership with One Stop. As one of our key partners where community is at the heart of everything they do, it has been a fantastic fit for The Salvation Army. The relationship has seen over 7,718 tonnes of clothing donated to our textile banks at One Stop stores, which can be repurposed and resold to raise valuable funds for vital charity work within our communities.”
