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WARDrobe, the textile division of metal recycling and waste management specialist Ward, has reinforced its longstanding support of clothing poverty charity Sharewear by providing a raft of new textile banks, free of charge, across the local community.

Sharewear offers a free scheme to provide people in economic difficulty with their basic clothing needs, from winter coats, school uniforms and undergarments to shoes, bedding and household textiles. Operating a referral system for individuals and also an outreach service for organisations, the charity has supported around 115,000 people since its launch in 2014.

Ward has committed to placing four textile banks around the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire area to allow Sharewear to collect donations, supporting them in their mission to reduce clothing poverty. These banks will be operated by Sharewear, meaning that one hundred per cent of the textiles collected will be reused through the Sharewear Clothing Scheme. The latest bank, at St Paul’s Church in West Bridgford, joins St Jude’s Church, Woodborough Road, Mapperley, as a destination where members of the public can drop off their clean and dry, pre-loved donations.

WARDRobe has partnered with the charity for several initiatives over the years to raise awareness of and tackle clothing poverty. In 2022, the organisations teamed up to provide a clothing bank at Manchester University where students, staff and the general public could drop off pre-loved clothing that could benefit others in the local community. Together, they have also launched a pilot clothing take-back scheme with national retailer House of Fraser. Ward also works with local councils to ensure pre-loved clothes donated via textile banks are given a new home with those who need them most.

In addition to putting back into the local community, Ward’s partnership with Sharewear supports the firm’s commitment to reducing waste to landfill by encouraging the reuse of clothing that would otherwise have been recycled or discarded.

Founder, CEO and Head of Operations, Louise Cooke: “Clothing poverty is not a matter of having clothes that you want to wear but more about having the basic clothes a person needs to either keep warm, go to work, or attend an interview.

“Our ongoing partnership with Ward allows us to offer people a vital identify and the confidence to live life to the best of their abilities. We know that Ward’s values align perfectly with our own, and we are forever grateful for their support in our mission to make a difference.”

Clare Harby, Head of Textiles and Waste Brokerage at Ward: “Ward is always looking to put back into our community and to make the biggest difference where it is needed most, and our partnership with Sharewear is an excellent example of this.

“There is a huge divide between the ‘fast fashion – throw away’ culture and the growing clothing poverty crisis faced by thousands of people across both our local region and nationally. Hopefully, our ongoing partnership will narrow that gap by reducing the environmental damage caused through waste to landfill while providing quality clothing to those most in need across our local communities.”

Ward has recently updated its website with a new textile bank locator to show those wishing to donate pre-loved clothes the location of their nearest facility. The new locator allows visitors to search for their closest bank by inputting their postcode, town or city into a search box or using the handy WARDRobe map.

For more information visit: www.ward.com/waste/commercial/services/textile-recycling/

For more information on Sharewear, visit https://sharewearclothingscheme.org/