Sainsbury’s rolls out charitable second-hand fashion initiative to all UK stores

UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s is expanding a charitable second-hand fashion programme to all of its UK stores following a successful trial.

The initiative sees Sainsbury’s donate any clothing products from its fashion brand Tu Clothing that are not fit for resale in store to Newlife, a UK charity that recycles, reprocesses, and reuses clothing to support 1.1 million disabled and terminally ill children.

Since they began their partnership in 2019, Sainsbury’s has donated 65.5 tonnes of unsellable clothing returns and faulty garments to the charity.

The money Newlife raises from reselling clothes in its nine stores across the UK is used to fund loans of sensory play equipment, for grants for disability equipment, for emergency equipment loans for families, and to fund Newlife’s nurse helpline.

Sainsbury’s said the initiative not only delivers a positive impact for its local communities, but also aligns with its sustainability strategy, ‘Plan for Better’. Any fashion deemed unable to be reworn will be recycled or reused for other purposes such as car insulation.

“We’re pleased to be rolling out our partnership with Newlife across all of our supermarkets and are incredibly proud of what we have achieved together so far,” said Sainsbury’s director of technical and ethical, Stephen Johnson.

He continued: “Not only does our partnership support the charity’s vital work in assisting so many children across the UK, but it also helps us to deliver our commitment to support local communities, whilst helping our planet too by protecting resources and reducing waste.”