Circularity

The Worthwhile Wardrobe Charity Rental was born out of a collaboration between the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice, and the Adam Smith Business School (University of Glasgow) research project focused on clothing sustainability and circularity. Supported by ACS Clothing, a business leader in clothing sustainability, Worthwhile Wardrobe is the first ever charity clothing rental model.

This is an exciting project focused on rethinking charity donation, increasing clothing use and longevity and increasing the circularity of the charity sector and their donators. Currently, only around 30-50% of items donated to charity end up being sold in charity retail stores, much will go to textile recyclers where it may be turned into industrial cleaning materials or shipped to other markets, where we have limited understanding of garment end of life. Rather than this more linear approach, we are introducing a model where clothing will circulate within PPWH retail beyond a once only sale, keeping clothing in use nationally for longer.

With 10% of Green House Gas emissions emitted by the fashion industry, 3 million pounds worth of clothing unworn in UK wardrobes and 336,000 tones of clothing in the UK ending up in landfill each year, there is an urgent need to effectively realise the value of clothing already in existence.

As part of the rental collection, we have and are generating stock to offer this through our online rental platform – Worthwhile Wardrobe. Join us on a mission to redefine second hand charity retail to keep clothes in circulation while raising essential funds for the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice.