Shun fast-fashion and refresh your wardrobe with quality pre-loved clothes from St Margaret’s Hospice Care’s shops this September and reduce your impact on the environment while supporting your local hospice.
In recent years, September has become synonymous with sustainability with The Great British Beach Clean and Second-Hand September becoming regular fixtures in the green calendar focused on responding to the threat of climate change.
And this year, St Margaret’s Hospice has joined the charge by launching its Sustainable September campaign which aims to raise awareness of the benefits of second-hand shopping and upcycling.
The campaign follows just weeks after St Margaret’s Summer Sewing Bee which challenged people across Somerset to transform pre-loved materials from their shops into a summer themed item through upcycling.
The hospice was blown away by the amazing entries they received including the winning entry which transformed an XL men’s shirt into a Trixie bag, book sleeve, a Billie Bucket hat (reversible), and a pippa for coins and the team are already planning for next year’s event so they can continue to raise awareness of the benefits of upcycling.
Why you should take part in Sustainable September
According to The Institute of Positive Fashion, the fashion and textile industry is the joint third highest emitter of greenhouse gases globally, accounting for around 5% of global emissions.
As people have become more aware of the impact this is having on the environment, consumer habits have started to change with charity shops stepping up to promote and deliver a sustainable alternative to fast fashion.
St Margaret’s Hospice is one of the charities at the forefront of this movement with its 31 shops being Somerset’s answer to building a more sustainable outlook to the wardrobe and home.
For the first six months of 2023, the hospice’s shops offset 571,255kg of used items from going into landfill, which equates to over an incredible 7million kgs of CO2 from the atmosphere. This figure comes from not only selling items in their shops, but also ensuring the items that can’t be sold, go through a RAG system, which is sent off to be sorted, re-used, and recycled. Therefore, nothing goes to waste.
With copious amounts of pre-loved items being rehomed back into our wonderful community, from clothing, to bric-a-brac, beds, all the way to electricals, the charity’s shops have been doing their bit for the environment and encouraged communities to be more mindful about the way they shop.
How you can get involved in Sustainable September
- Give your wardrobe a clear out and consider donating clothes that you haven’t worn in a while too. You can drop them off before you shop for your new items!
- Make a pledge to only shop second-hand for the whole of September in one of our 31 shops.
- Share your pictures of your pre-loved clothing bargains on social media and tag us on your social media using the hashtag #SustainableSeptember.
- Pop into our shops and speak to our teams about the best green fashion finds – they have a great eye for bargains!
Taking part in Sustainable September is not only an amazing way to reduce your impact on the environment and refresh your wardrobe, it also supports the valuable care St Margaret’s provides to around 5,000 people across Somerset every year.
Every purchase you make in one of the hospice’s shops helps St Margaret’s staff to provide quality compassionate end-of-life care to patients with a life-limiting illness and their families when they need it most.
So be part of the re-wear, recirculate and reuse revolution today by visiting St Margaret’s shops, it really does make a huge difference.