The recycling partnership between Sainsbury’s and Newlife – a charity for disabled children – is to be extended nationwide.
The tie-up will involve all Sainsbury’s supermarkets donating Tu clothing returns and faulty garments to the charity for resale through its channels, which will help raise funds for the causes it supports.
Newlife has built its foundation around recycling, reprocessing, and reusing clothing to support 1.1 million disabled and terminally ill children in the UK. The Sainsbury’s and Newlife work has already resulted in 65.5 tonnes of clothing being donated to the cause.
In addition to helping raise money for those in need, the partnership between Sainsbury’s and Newlife forms part of the supermarket chain’s sustainability strategy, Plan for Better, which was established to help reduce waste and help the retailer become a greener business.
The money raised from reselling Tu clothes in Newlife’s nine stores around the UK will help fund loans of sensory play equipment, grants for disability equipment, and emergency equipment loans for families. Charity shop sales also help to fund Newlife’s helpline, which provides compassionate support from professional nurses for families with disabled and terminally ill children.
According to Sainsbury’s, all its clothing returns and faulty garments which cannot be resold by Newlife will be broken down into raw materials before being recycled or reused for a variety of different purposes such as car insulation and dog bed stuffing.
Stephen Johnson, director of technical & ethical at Sainsbury’s, said: “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.”
Newlife works with more than 300 retailers and manufacturers across the UK and Europe, gathering donated items that would otherwise be destined for landfill.
Stephen Morgan, operations director at Newlife, commented: “We are so pleased that our trial with Sainsbury’s went well and that the new partnership will be rolled out to all Sainsbury’s stores on a long-term basis.
“By working together we are making a huge difference to the planet and people and it means we can help more families in need.”
[Image credit: Sainsbury’s]
