Making sport more accessible and sustainable for all…
SSF (Scottish Sports Futures) and ApparelXchange CIC (AXC), have launched their annual collaborative project to gather unwanted sportswear before it reaches landfill.
This annual campaign for unwanted sportswear is asking people of Glasgow and Scotland to donate items of clothing and footwear they no longer need for reuse. Those reuse items are checked and redistributed helping young people back into active lives.
For the previous two years both organisations have been working together, utilising their strengths – SSF enabling young people to be active through sport and physical activity, and AXC who reuse clothing and reaching people who need some support – to make a difference to young people while also reducing the impact of clothing on our planet.
If you have unwanted active / sportswear or footwear please get in touch with SSF or AXC to make a donation by emailing hello@apparelXchange.co.uk or visiting their social media pages for information about drop-off sites.
They have worked with many large employers in the past and are looking to do so again. If you work for or run a business, higher education institute or public body they would love you and your team to be involved as a donation point for employees. Just message the email above to set up a collection point.
They are looking for all types, styles and sizes of sportwear tops, bottoms and footwear. You can donate damaged or worn times, if possible they will be repaired and if not, AXC work with recyclers to make sure very little ever gets thrown away.
Clothing has become a disposable commodity and, in the UK alone, £140m worth of clothing reaches the waste bin each year. To compound this problem even further it is projected that by 2030, average consumption is thought to rise by 63% worldwide, causing even more pollution, destroying habitats, local communities and adding to existing huge waste problem.
ApparelXchange estimate that approximately 60% of discarded clothing and footwear can be reused and in doing so we can reduce the demands that new clothing puts on our planet’s resources.
The gathered sportswear will be prepared for reuse and made available as required to SSF and any other individuals or organisations in need of items. SSF work across the most deprived areas in Glasgow, North Ayrshire, Fife and Stirling, with many of the young people and families living in poverty. They will use the donated clothing and footwear to repackage and give to young people and families who are in need.
This smart collaboration between SSF and AXC will bring affordable clothing and footwear to many more young people enabling them to participate in sport. All while meeting multiple policy objectives for Scotland, including protecting the environment, tackling poverty and health inequalities.
"We are delighted to be running this campaign for the third year. Building on our relationship and new ones with businesses across Glasgow we have been able to collect even more sportswear. We are ambitious to gather even more, so if you are a running club, local sports club, please get involved and donate your old sports kit. Being able to close the loop on gathering reusable kit and getting it out to young people who need it is really important. Having an active life has so many benefits and we believe in giving young people the best start in life. We are hugely excited to be working with SSF to reduce the problem of waste textiles while enabling more people to be part of slowing down climate change. Combining this with the work of SSF, enabling more young people to get involved in sport and physical activity, is very important to developing the potential of young people and ensuring they appreciate their important role in the world."
We are delighted to continue our partnership with AXC. Last year donations increased by 500% compared to the first year and we would be thrilled to get more organisations involved to gather even more sportswear donations this year. With rising poverty levels in Scotland and the cost of living crisis, access to sports clothing remains a barrier to participating in sport and physical activity. This donation drive helps reduce this barrier for young people and their families whilst also reducing the impact of unsustainable clothing on the planet.
How to Donate
Drop off locations in Glasgow City Centre and Southside, collection service and bulk postage can all be arranged by calling the ApparelXchange team on 07383572327.
