And how our waste at BIBICO is being given a NEW LIFE.
At the core of our ethos is the belief we can create timeless pieces of clothing that can be worn over and over, are well-loved and when they have come to the end of their lifetime, are made of natural fibres and are therefore compostable or recyclable. If you follow us on social media you hopefully will know and love this about us.
But what about those items that we didn’t sell?
From season to season, we accumulate a variable quantity of garments we cannot make use of. This, like any business we class as ‘waste’ and we try at all costs to keep it to a minimum. But, it’s impossible to avoid entirely.
Whilst we take our sustainability very seriously it remains the case that the fashion industry is recognised as one of the most wasteful and polluting industries on the planet. Although many of us are much more aware of this and thankfully, many businesses are trying to revise their operations, it remains a serious problem.
But, we have good news… we are so pleased to be able to share news of our collaboration with an organisation who can help us with this problem whilst also making an enormous difference to the lives of others. A charity called NEWLIFE.
NEWLIFE is a fantastic organisation which works in a number of areas to improve the lives of children with disabilities or life-limiting illness. They fundraise in many different ways but one way BIBICO can help is by donating our waste stock to them. They have achieved a huge amount by working with stock partners such as us and the statistics speak for themselves. In 2022/23 alone they collected 1,947 tonnes of stock, 970 tonnes of which was resold in one of their shops or at NEWLIFE Online and 540 tonnes was sent for fibre recovery or recycling and therefore diverted away from incineration or landfill. Amazing work!
We’d like to share a little bit more about what NEWLIFE does as we feel they really deserve a shout out. NEWLIFE funding is channelled in a number of directions. They have invested over £16 million into medical research programs across the UK and their work enabled them to open the NEWLIFE Birth Defects Research Centre in 2012. They provide funding for vital, specialist equipment for disabled children and also a nurse helpline offering parents and carers emotional support and practical advice. We are so proud to be able to help them in this incredible work.
In the meantime, rest assured that here at BIBICO, we will always be working towards sustainable solutions for our business.
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