Clothes and Shoes North
Second Hand Clothes: Collections in Europe & North America
Members of Humana People to People collect used clothes and shoes in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Great Britain, Canada and the USA.
Since the end of the 1970s these members have collected, sorted and sold used clothing. They now hold a market share of 5-6% in second hand clothing. During the 1970s, second hand clothing was collected solely to provide clothing for refugees in Mozambique and other countries in southern Africa. Later the selling of clothing in Europe and North America as well as in Africa and Central America was introduced to raise funds for social development programs and to stimulate local economies in developing countries.
Collecting and reselling used clothing is a major activity in Europe and North America. The following are the several purposes for this activity:
· To raise funds for a variety of projects in poor countries. The surplus created from discarded products that have zero value is used to improve living conditions and to overcome economical disparity and educational gaps in some of the world’s poorest nations.
· To give people in poor countries access to good and affordable clothing. Humana People to People members provide people in poor countries with good affordable clothes every year through member associations, clothes and sale projects in Africa, America and India.
· To recycle instead of throwing out what still has value. In Europe and North America, Humana People to People members collect thousands of tons of clothes that would otherwise have been discarded as waste. The recycle of clothes addresses the problem of waste management and supports a sustainable environment.
Members of Humana People to People collect clothing by setting up recycling containers throughout Europe and North America. Containers, also known as clothing banks or drop-off boxes are put up at strategic places in cooperation with local municipalities and businesses. The containers are placed conveniently at supermarkets, dry cleaners or post offices, where people have easy access and can dispose of their clothes and shoes.
Over the years the numbers of containers or drop-off boxes have been increased in cities, towns and counties throughout Europe and North America to make it convenient for the donor to drop off their donations. The containers are open 24 hours 7 days a week, so the donors can clean out their closets and drop off their donations at a convenient time to them. The donated clothes are then picked up in trucks and delivered to the nearest sorting centre.
At the sorting centre the clothes are graded into categories. A part of the collected clothes are sold to consumers in Europe and North America in associations’ retail shops. There are about 100 of these retail shops throughout Europe and North America. The retail shops are modern shops with a large selection of good quality clothes.
The surplus clothing from the retail shops is donated to Humana People to People who passes the clothes on to member associations in Africa and India. The proceeds from the selling of these clothes are channelled to development projects in the respective countries.
The collection of used clothes and shoes is more developed in Europe and North America but still only 15% of the clothes is collected and recycled. The second hand clothes industry has not yet developed to its full potential on either continent. There is need to educate and inform people of the social and environmental impact of discarding clothing.
Another benefit of the increasing number of containers or drop off boxes is that it sends a message about how important it is to donate rather than throw clothing away. Outreach programs, websites and printed material help educate the people about importance of donating clothing and world issues.
In addition to the collection of second hand clothing, members of Humana People to People in Europe and North America also do other kinds of fundraising. UFF Denmark organises street collections together with a number of private schools for the TCE program in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe. Humana Spain has established a special collection for orphans in Zambia.
The member organisations also establish Partnership in Development between partners from their respective countries and members in Africa or Asia. In this way, fundraising embodies integrated efforts.
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