For those who are not familiar with ApparelXchange, we are a social enterprise dedicated to reuse, repair & recycling for childrenswear, ages 4-18. Our mission is to reduce the impact of clothing on our planet. Families can shop secondhand with us, donate clothing to us & receive free clothing from us when times are challenging. Schools can get support from us, share education opportunities with us and grow greener alongside us.
Today, we’re inviting you to join in our new campaign for Summer 2021 – Start Strong in Secondhand – helping us encourage families across the country to opt for preloved items when schools return in August, to better protect people and the planet.
In 2020, an estimated 792.3 thousand young people attended schools in Scotland, with the vast majority of these schools requiring school uniform. In 2015, the Department for Education surveyed parents across the UK, finding they spend on average almost £213 per child on uniform throughout the year (excluding PE kits), a cost that now equals almost £230 per pupil in 2019 due to inflation. For so many parents, carers and families, this is far too much.
Further to these financial issues, the sheer volume of items made for pupils each year is badly damaging our planet. Garment production accounts for 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions – and then 85% of textiles end up in landfill. Plus, for big retailers across the UK, there are very few protections set up for the people who make our clothes, leading to many harmful human rights violations.
With all of this in mind, we’re asking school communities to make a challenging but vital change – and start their young people in second hand uniform this August.
Here at ApparelXchange, we can provide great quality, low cost, preloved uniform items for young people aged 4-18 years. We accept all donations (uniform, casual wear, footwear and accessories), which we then review, repair and resell. Our retail income also supports our reduced cost package services for families experiencing hardship.
