Why charity shops matter for the community and sustainability

Amid a cost-of-living crisis and long-term concerns about sustainability and fast fashion, charity shops represent a refreshing alternative to fast fashion and give people the chance to make a difference in the world.

Check out our article to find out the answers to the above questions and to find out why charity shops matter.

According to a study by Oxfam, you could save the equivalent of 20,000 standard bottles of water by buying a second-hand t-shirt and pair of jeans. If everyone in the UK opted to buy just one pair of jeans from a charity shop instead of off the rack, it could help save around 1 trillion bottles of water, which is enough to fill Wales’s largest freshwater lake five times over.

So where does fast fashion picture in this scene?

Fast fashion carries with it an enormous environmental impact. The term ‘fast fashion’ itself refers to a business model where fashion retailers mass produce and design clothing at a low cost and push them from factory to store quickly to reproduce current fashion trends. The term was coined by the New York Times in 1989 to describe how Zara  enabled garments to go from the design stage to being sold in stores in just 15 days – all while copying contemporary trends by lowering the quality of the materials and labour costs.

The global fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of worldwide carbon emissions, as well as the consumption of 93 billion cubic metres of water per annum. Or to illustrate the point further, around 37 million Olympic swimming pools. 

To put it simply, fast fashion is damaging the environment. And it’s not only confined to carbon emissions - the insatiable drive for fast fashion means that the fashion industry extracts resources from soil, livestock and clean water to fuel its business model. The fashion industry is responsible for about 20% of global clean water pollution from dyeing and finishing products, for instance. The production of plastic-based fibres for clothing requires an estimated 342 million barrels of oil per year, and processes like dyeing need 43 million tonnes of chemicals per year to stay operational. To top it off, all the cotton used in the process uses 200,000 tonnes of pesticides and 8 million tonnes of fertilisers annually.

Fast fashion is an industry that is reliant on non-renewable energy at every stage of the process and one that has a disproportionate negative impact on the planet due to its hazardous chemical use.

Charity shops stock second-hand clothing, which means clothes have a second chance at being used. It reduces waste, keeps clothes away from the landfills a little longer and therefore reduces the carbon footprint. 

Opting to buy at a charity shop means customers can choose to buy products second-hand, and cut down on their carbon footprint instead of encouraging greater production of low-quality overproduced clothing that damages the environment. Plus, shopping vintage or second-hand promotes the re-use of clothing and reduces textile waste, and strengthens the idea of a circular economy. This is an economic concept where items are re-used, and recycled instead of banished to a landfill. This model is far more sustainable and planet friendly than that used by most fashion retailers.

These benefits are appreciated by consumers too. A survey by McKinsey found that over 60% of American respondents said that they would pay more for a sustainable product, with 78% of consumers also claiming that a sustainable lifestyle is important to them.

The fact is that today, more people care about the environment and charity shops are an amazing resource for people who want to shop with purpose and help the planet.

Going beyond environmentalism, charity shops bring a lot of value to their local communities too. There are over 11,000 charity shops in the UK, which raise approximately £270 million a year

While the most obvious benefit to individual shoppers is the lower price of items, charity shops play a vital role in making the world a better place as profits go towards supporting the charity’s cause. For example, at Concern, shoppers are not only able to get a deal for their closet but they are also helping us end extreme poverty, whatever it takes.

Charity shops are often significantly cheaper than high street retailers, as they are not driven by the same demands as big brands. Because charity shops exist within the circular economy and rely on donated items, they do not have to budget for manufacturing and supply costs, allowing them to sell items at a lower cost. The overwhelming majority of charity shop sales, 90% to be precise, are from donated items.

Let’s examine the goals of a retailer versus a charity shop. Charity shops are focused on fundraising for their cause, which means selling as many items as possible, generally at a lower price. They are not held to the same standards as high street or online retailers, which are focused on shareholder maximisation, increasing profit margins by raising prices, cross-selling or reducing operation costs.

When we consider the ongoing cost of living, consumers are becoming less likely to buy expensive high street retail clothes and are opting for shopping in charity shops. According to a study by the Charity Retail Association, almost half of people in England and Wales are shopping more in charity shops or considering doing so due to the rising cost of living.

Not only do charity shops offer more value for money, but they also serve a significant role by acting as a lifeblood in the community. Charity shops are volunteer run and offer a rewarding experience to those that choose to help. Firstly, volunteering enables people to learn or strengthen new skills, including communicating with people, organising, customer service and teamwork. Many people have utilised these skills to seek paid employment.

In fact, the mere presence of having volunteers in charity shops has a positive impact on societal wellbeing. One important and relevant concept is social value. Social value is the positive impact an organisation has on individuals, society and the environment. There are different ways to quantify the social return on investment, but essentially methods will examine data that incorporates economic value as well as significant improvements in mental health and family relationships. According to a report by the Charity Retail Association, charity shops generated £75.3 billion of social value, with 49% of this social value being linked towards giving back to others or the planet. For every pound invested in charity shops, £7.35 of social value is generated, leading to a massive impact on people who work in the shops or regularly shop there. 

The social value from volunteering is changing lives. According to a report by the Charity Retail Association, titled The Value of Giving Back – The Social Return of Charity Shops, a fifth of the social value is through customers and donors ‘feeling met by charity shop staff with friendliness and compassion’ and a tenth of the value stems from ‘feeling part of a community. Volunteers report experiencing the highest value from interacting with charity shops.

Concern Worldwide has eight shops across Northern Ireland that rely on the generous support of our hardworking volunteers and donors to help us ran the shops.

Our shops span Northern Ireland from Ballycastle to Newcastle, including our Lisburn Road store in Belfast, which is a boutique charity shop, that stocks a range of designer, vintage and top-quality clothing, homeware, books and media.

We rely on the generous donations of our supporters and all the proceeds from our stores go towards helping us tackle extreme poverty and change the lives of people living in the most vulnerable communities.

Shopping second hand not only cuts down on a person’s environmental impact, but by shopping at Concern your money goes towards supporting those who are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Interested in volunteering at one of our stores in Northern Ireland? Find out more here.