Three Longform stories - Charity

‘Opportunity is everywhere’: The eco-friendly trend of upcycling.

Two months after arriving in not-so-sunny Manchester, Anita Atanasova, a young entrepreneur from Bulgaria, quickly noticed the large volume of wasted fabric that was surprisingly (to her) coming from charitable sectors. It was then and there that she envisioned a future fashion brand with one thing at the forefront of her mind - that “Opportunity is everywhere, you just have to look for it”.

Anita, now 29, took her first steps on English soil back in 2016. Several months into her arrival, she took any chance she could to surround herself with clothing. Volunteering at a local charity shop, she was stunned at the amount of unwanted clothing that was being donated daily.

Ranking 7th in the world for most produced fashion waste, business waste online states that on average each UK citizen throws away around 1kg of clothing each year with an estimated £140 million worth of clothing going to landfills. Those who don’t dispose of clothing in their bins often drop their unwanted garments into their local charity shops, leaving volunteers, like Anita, to organise, or dispose of them themselves.

Disappointed but driven by the knowledge that even charities are sometimes part of the problem, Anita designed her very own business model with a focus on upcycling fabrics, particularly those that were brought in bulk to the surrounding charity shops. “Sustainability is always something that I’d considered when building my business model, but upcycling was one of the core ethics that truly grounded my overall vision,” she said.

Opening cupboard upon cupboard, Anita showed me her collection of larger volumes of previously donated denim that she had purchased from charities up and down Manchester. Predominantly jeans, but also jackets and caps, the collection of blue textiles practically glowed in the sunlight like some secret treasure. 

“These will all be cut down and shaped into something new, something exciting. The material is often of incredible quality and it’s a shame to even consider it being left in a dusty charity store until it’s eventually thrown into a bag and shipped overseas. Or worse, into landfill.” She told me.

In the UK, second-hand trade makes more than £330 million per year for charities, often saving 339,000 tons of clothing from landfills and incineration, which would have otherwise caused around 6.9 million tons of carbon dioxide to be produced. However, only between ten and thirty percent of second-hand donations to charity shops are resold in-store. The rest disappears into a vast sorting apparatus to be graded and sold on to commercial partners, often for export according to a recent study from the Daily Mail.

A growingly popular alternative to this potentially wasteful process is upcycling.

Sourcing and piecing second-hand clothing together can be a labour-intensive process but one that Anita knew she was focused on implementing. According to sustainability expert Sophie Benson, upcycling is simply the practice of taking something broken, tired, or no longer in use and giving it a new lease of life as something new. "Critically, that something new should be of equal or higher value - if you're turning a t-shirt into cleaning rags, for instance, then that's categorised as downcycling,"

Upcycling doesn’t just apply to textiles though; it can be an out-of-date magazine being turned into a coaster! This was the circumstances that the ‘Big Issue North’, a charity news tabloid group in Manchester, faced when the lockdown left them holding hundreds of magazines with no way to distribute.

Editor Brontë Schiltz spoke to me about an upcycling project that they encountered when lockdown restrictions completely changed their business model, putting hundreds of lives at risk.

“Our model allows our vendors to purchase magazines for a small fee and then sell them on to others. This gives hundreds the tools that they need to support themselves financially and helps them obtain things such as shelter and food.” She advised.

“When lockdown came around, this model no longer worked with everyone being forced to remain indoors, so we had to consider an alternative way to make money for our vendors. Also, we had a build-up of magazines that were due to be distributed in the upcoming weeks that were going out of date and would just become waste.”

GOV.uk states that of the 91% of charities affected by the pandemic, nearly half (45%) say they took some action to adapt their services based on restrictions caused by the pandemic. Some changed the way they delivered services by moving them online, refocusing on core projects, and making difficult decisions such as cutting staffing or spending less on things like research.

Brontë acted when recognising an opportunity to upcycle the stacks of magazines that they had printed. She spoke to me about a paper in Greece called ‘Shedi’ which had recently done a project whereby, at the end of their print run, if they still had some magazines left over would craft them into upcycled objects such as jewellery, clocks, or homeware like baskets and bowls. and sell them on their online shop.

This intuitive process of upcycling had a proven track record of success so Brontë chose to implement it on their unused magazines so they could support their venders whilst also reducing waste. She says “It had an ecological impact as well. We managed to reduce the waste by working with a lot of people based in their offices. That meant we could reduce the transportation costs. It was a great project, and people produced some amazing stuff.”

Upcycling gives opportunity to items that would otherwise end up adding to an ever-growing problem, waste. It’s the rising intrigue, entrepreneurship, and quick thinking from people like Brontë and Anita that is helping to reduce these numbers over time.

Anita says, “Every time I make something and there is a piece of fabric left over, I put it to good use and make something new and exciting rather than throwing it away. It’s my biggest brand trait, opportunity is in everything.”

Reseller Apps, And the Threats That They Bring.

With the uncharacteristically hot UK summer sun just around the corner and winter's icy grip slowly beginning to thaw, many look toward their wardrobe. Each planning out how they will dispose of the heavy woolly jumpers, to make room for the t-shirts and crop tops that they just bought online. What was once a straightforward job of filing a black bin bag with your unwanted clothes, to take to your local charity, has now become a self-selling possibility thanks to some simple apps on your mobile phone.

They say, ‘One person's rubbish is another's treasure’, and for decades charities have used this notion to support those most in need, but the recent rise in reselling apps is risking the basic organisation for many. Apps such as Vinted and Debob are altering entire generational views on what has monetary worth and are altering opinions on whose pocket that money should be in.

Families will be looking to clear out the clutter whilst revamping their look, but with most suffering during the cost of living crisis, just where will people turn to for fashionable but fairly priced garments? A recent poll conducted by YouGov reported that around 21 million people are struggling to keep up with bills and credit commitments, leading to many finding new ways to make ends me.

It’s not hard to find someone who has adopted this new way of recycling goods. Jacque Davies, a working-class mother of one from Manchester, has found much-needed financial support in reselling her old goods online via these apps, following the recent lockdowns and ongoing times of financial instability.

When recounting how her ‘side hustle’ came to be in 2020, Jacque says, “The cost-of-living crisis hit hard, almost to the point of breaking”. She spoke about the importance of “needing additional income to support her family and make sure they ate every night”. She says that “by reselling on my mobile when there wasn’t much else out there, I could sleep knowing that I’d done right by my daughter”.

Whilst putting some worn clothing into a pile to be listed on an app, Jacque says “Long gone are the days of carting around stretched-out black bin bags full of old clothing to local charities just to get told that they don’t want them”, now with the rise of reseller apps like Vinted, which The Guardian reports has now over 16 million UK users, it’s super easy to get rid of your old clothing and make something for yourself.

Apps such as Vinted and eBay do however offer some opportunity to gift some of the users’ profits to a charity. Jacque says, “There is always some way of giving back whether that be with physical donations or cash, and I do it when I can, I just don’t tend to do it as often as I used to.”

It’s evident that these apps offer much-needed additional financial income for millions during times of financial vulnerability, but it isn’t surprising that charities are concerned about the ongoing structure of second-hand selling.

Senior analyst for retail at EMARKETER, Carina Perkins, found that almost 80% of UK shoppers would buy used items to save money, while only 49.9% said they would do so to be more sustainable. Suggesting that considerations for many are where to get it cheapest and not necessarily to support local charities.

Manchester’s Oxfam store manager, Emily Vass says that her day-to-day running of the shop has changed dramatically since the rise of reseller apps and tells how the rise in popularity of vintage clothing has altered the landscape for most of their stores' restocking and branding.

“Some vintage shops on our street have been known to come in and bulk buy our vintage and sell it for double down the road.” Says Emily. “I have noticed that any vintage clothing we used to get in as donations has now become few and far between because people know they can get more for it online or in their boutique.”

When asked why people aren’t donating as much, Emily says “Everyone seems to have far less money these days and would understandably opt to sell it through online platforms instead of giving it to us for free. “

What’s most significant, is that with the boom of second-hand apps making it possible for fashion lovers to access one-of-a-kind pieces at home instantly rather than spending hours slogging through an often cramped and almost guaranteed stale charity shop, why would anyone leave the comfort of their homes? This is how decreasing footfall starts, causing financial shortages and possible risks to a charity's future.

The pandemic lockdown in late March 2020 likely accelerated this digital shift as we were forced online, away from other people, and away from second-hand shops. European Fundraising Foundation reports that public donations to UK charities were down £4.4bn in the first year of the pandemic, and it seems even following the lift of lockdowns, hundreds of thousands are choosing to continue with this trend and keep old clothing to themselves.

That said, not all is grey and gloomy though, with the BBC reporting that charity shop sales rose by 15.1% between January and March last year compared to the year previous.

Fortunately, Gen Z recognises the importance of recycling, and with the fashion industry reportedly being responsible for 8-10% of global emissions in BBC’s latest analytics, it’s now simply a matter of debate whether or not we require charity shops to be sustainable, or whether we could sell sustainably from the comfort of our homes, via digital apps and websites.

Charity Digital recently stated online, ‘The sector is quickly shifting, adapting, changing, and it can feel hard to keep up with reseller apps. Charities are finally settling, thinking about the future, working out their digital strategies, and broadly setting their sights on the long term. To make the right decisions for their future, they must understand the risks which they face presently and persevere.’

Charities and Their Aged Tactic of Empathy.

Guilt is a finite emotion that has been exploited for gain over decades through both imagery and language alike. Many would agree that it possesses great reward when sparked at the right time, through the correct means for select reasons or causes. No more apparent is this than within the charitable sector, which can easily tread the thin line between raising awareness at the risk of triggering guilt for gain.

Charities' primary issue is often tied to a lack of audience retention, with most swimming in a sea of recognisable whales like the Red Cross and Cancer Research, leaving the smaller, and often more localised ones to fight for ongoing recognition and support.

Social media, when used appropriately, is perhaps the most powerful tool that a business can use. It’s no surprise therefore that most charitable organisations have replaced aged attempts of manipulation with daily moral boosts on Facebook and such. It’s therefore important to think about how a charity should use social media, and whether we should consider what risks it can easily bring along with it.

According to the most recent Giving Report, 29% of people consider social media to be the communication tool that most inspires giving. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that 87% of donors who first donate from a social referral source make their second donation also from a social referral source (The State of Modern Philanthropy Report).

Donations however are just a small part of a successful charity, with some using social media to drive home their agendas and goals. With 80% of 18 to 24-year-olds and 73% of 25 to 34-year-olds using Facebook and Twitter respectively, these platforms are especially relevant for charities keen to engage with a younger generation of supporters who are witness to images of terror daily.

Young Manchester couple, Bella and Nathan, frequently foster dogs through non-profit charities, such as Dogs4Rescue and the RSPCA, mainly in part due to the content that they see regularly via social media.

Residing in a quaint one-bedroom flat within Ancoats, the pair not only foster dogs frequently but also are sound-minded when it comes to other aspects of charitable causes. Wearing second-hand clothing bought from the local charity shops, the two sit atop an upcycled, khaki-coloured couch (which they prided themselves in making me aware of) along with their furry companion, Charlie, fast asleep beside them.

When discussing how their four-legged friend joined their family, Bella told me, “We found her through the RSPCA’s social media pages. We followed their national pages and would always see a lot of requests for people to support so many dogs in need. A lot of it did tend to be on the depressing side, with the same messages being repeated about dogs in need and even some images of dogs in pretty bad ways. It was clear that the posts were being made to pull on people’s heartstrings, and it worked on us. There’s something in the use of images of animals that just works.”

Partner, Nathan, replies, “Sometimes I do wonder though if people just see a charity always doing well will they just pass it by thinking that they don’t need money or help? It’s a balancing act for sure”.

Known as one of the most effective ways for charities to build supporters and boost donations, social media is also a great place to share success stories or demonstrate the impact of their ongoing work.

Jacqueline Smith, chief executive manager at Emmaus, has years of experience working within charities, including the British Heart Foundation and Age UK. Preferring to go by ‘Jackie’, she invests a great deal of time and care into her work, both on and off the clock.

Her main ambition is to give the best care and backing to her team and those who require her charity's support. She tells me about her experiences of late with social media and just how they have helped her ground the charity brand along with helping countless in need.

“We always have to be mindful of what content goes out on what platform. It tends to be that people mainly want to hear about success stories from our companions, whether that be talking about how their driving lessons went or being out on a work trial.”, says Jackie.

“The trick is not to put people off from what your message is by bombarding them with things they don’t need to see or things that might cause them to see your charity in a different light”.

With an earnest look in her eyes, Jackie said, “We always make sure when posting that we do not beg or make people feel obliged to donate. Our main focus is always and will always be around spreading news and allowing our followers to support us when they can do so willingly”.

Jackie isn’t the only one who recognises that audience’s mood directly correlates to increased support and donations though. New research from the University of Massachusetts suggests that improved mood ties to more donations. Results showed that volunteers were likely to give over seven percent more to charities after being shown imagery that made them happy.

Interestingly, in another study around the use of empathy and support, one researcher said “We found that audiences have moved on, and they are not engaging with that kind of imagery anymore – the guilt trippy, very stereotyping, very othering, hopeless images that leave somebody feeling sad and like a situation might be futile. That tone of image just doesn’t cut through anymore.”

When asked if social media was an inevitability, Bella believed it was, stating “I need to see some change over time, whether that be from a negative to a positive or always good I’m not sure, but I always want to know that what I am giving money and time to is making some kind of difference and social media is a great way to share all this for this digital generation”.