Charity Post: SATCoL and Retail Partners Unite to Reduce Waste, Support Sustainability, and Fund Vital Charity Work

The Salvation Army’s trading arm, Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd (SATCoL), is a leader in driving positive social and environmental impact. With a longstanding commitment to reuse and recycling, SATCoL operates a nationwide network of charity shops, donation centers, and clothing banks, working alongside community groups, businesses, local authorities, schools, and individuals—all united by a shared mission to help others and protect the planet.

Partnering with brands and retailers, SATCoL accepts excess, returned, and end-of-line stock of clothing and home goods, reselling them in its charity shops across the UK. This collaboration offers brands an opportunity to reduce storage costs, free up warehouse space for new stock, and divert more products away from disposal.

As a call to action, SATCoL produced a photoshoot with leading fashion industry photographer Camille Sanson and Fashion Stylist Karl Willett.  
Photo: SATCoL

By extending the life cycle of these items, SATCoL and its partners contribute to reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions while raising vital funds for charity. In addition, SATCoL’s investment in modern processing centers and innovative textile recycling technology enables large-scale reuse and recycling solutions never seen before in the UK. The organization also supports businesses in amplifying their sustainability efforts by promoting their partnerships and shared commitment to creating lasting change.

To highlight the impact of corporate donations, SATCoL recently collaborated on a photoshoot with renowned fashion photographer Camille Sanson and stylist Karl Willett, known for his work with celebrities at the Grammy Awards, Met Gala, and Vanity Fair.

Reflecting on the project, Karl Willett shared:  "It was a pleasure to be part of the Corporate Donations shoot—a scheme making a tangible impact by diverting everyday items from landfill and championing sustainability."

The campaign showcases the style and potential of second-hand fashion, electronics, and home goods—categories SATCoL is eager to receive. The organization has gained industry-wide recognition for its work in helping brands achieve their sustainability goals and promoting the benefits of second-hand shopping.

Shaunacy Burne, Corporate Partnerships Manager at SATCoL, emphasized the importance of these collaborations: "We are working with businesses to repurpose obsolete, end-of-line, and faulty stock, ensuring these products are reused rather than discarded. Not only do we help brands meet their CSR objectives through sustainable solutions, but the donations we receive are sold in our retail outlets to raise essential funds for our parent charity. We’re actively seeking new partnership opportunities—together, we can significantly reduce waste and keep more items out of landfill. Get in touch; we’d love to hear from you."

Scottish designers chosen to create Zero Waste couture fashion

--- Dynamic duo to influence fashionistas by challenging binning trends ---

Did you know that in the UK alone, garments have an estimated life span of two years, three months.   It is estimated that £140million worth (350,000 tonnes) of used clothes ends up in landfill each year, which is over 30 percent of our wardrobes.

Now that is a lot of wastage and those figures signify that we simply have too much clothes.  

So it is encouraging to learn that an initiative, part of the Love Your Clothes campaign will see two Scots textile and fashion designers joining forces with the charity company the Salvation Army to transform old garments into new clothes and to remind people that clothes should never be thrown away as they always have a value.

The two designers from Scotland chosen for this one-off opportunity are sustainable textile designer Aimee Kent and Jemma Wood, owner of Black Cherry Studio.  

They will embark on a 12-week residency to create two new “fashion-forward” collections from 150 kilos of unwanted garments. They will create couture collections from clothes donated to Salvation Army charity shops and clothing banks, thereby transforming them into catwalk-worthy creations.  Both designers will receive £3,500 for the residency of 12 weeks. They will also get to retain the collection at the end of the project.

The commission will finish on 28 February 2016 and the collections will be unveiled in March 2016.  

Specialising in printed textiles, joint winner Aimee Kent (above left) - who has worked with Henrietta Ludgate and Niki Taylor from The Top Project and Olanic, said: “I feel honoured to have been chosen to take part. This opportunity is the perfect fit for me, because I already run a sustainable surface pattern design which focuses on the re-use of materials. I want to create designs that can be worn again and again and never go out of style. That’s what I intend to do here.”

Speaking of the upcoming challenge, Jemma Wood (above right), owner of Black Cherry Studio said: “It feels absolutely amazing to have been selected. We were blown away when we heard the news. I have lots of great ideas that I am keen to get started on.   I want to create a meaningful collection that brings together elements of both the Salvation Army and Zero Waste Scotland. Our specialism is textile print, which will breathe new life into the unwanted garments and shoe people that with a little creativity you can turn the unwanted into the desirable. I can’t wait to get started.”

The Salvation Army Trading Company, one of the largest clothing recyclers in the UK receive around 30,000 tonnes of donated textiles each year, which helps raise vital funds for the charity’s work with vulnerable people. 

Catherine Hamou from The Salvation Army Trading Company said:  “There is so much value in textiles that people often don’t see.

 “As a charity that works with vulnerable people all over the country, we see the effects of poverty every day; clothing should never been thrown away when it can be reused or re-worn. Donating textiles to charities like us means that you’re helping to raise millions of pounds each year for people who need it most – and not only that, but you’re helping to prevent hugely unnecessary waste that could be heading straight to landfill,” said Catherine.

The charity is well known across the country, helping to fund programmes with homelessness and addiction services, care for older people, help at emergency incidents, support for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales, a Family Tracing Service and more. 

Lynn Wilson, textiles manager, Zero Waste Scotland said: “All textiles have a value and can be used again and again; clothing should never be put in the bin. 

“I believe that with a little TLC, most unwanted clothing can be transformed into something valuable. We really want people to see there is worth in their clothes," said Lynn.