We had a fantastic Wear it Pink day here at BCR Global in aid of Breast Cancer Campaign on 28th October.
Everyone really made an effort to find their wildest pink clothes and pop a pound in the donation tin. We had pink tutus, a bikini, a ball gown and that was just the men! We raised a good few hundred pounds for the cause as part of October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month and there was a fab Friday feeling at work.
To see some of the outrageous costumes, you can see a video clip of us showing off on You Tube.
Maxine Sault, MD BCR Global Textiles
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Pink Ribbon Ball
I had a great time at The Pink Ribbon Ball at the Dorchester Hotel on 8th October. Such a wonderful event in support of Breast Cancer Campaign on whose behalf we have been collecting and recycling textiles for the past few years and donating to the cause.
We met so many interesting people and a huge amount was raised especially from the auction charmingly staged by Jeffrey Archer. Of course the real reason we were all there was for those affected by the disease, some of them survivors others still fighting their battle. It was emotional and yet empowering to hear their personal accounts and gave so much meaning to why the money was being raised and how it was helping.
We are planning our own fundraising event with a Pink Day later in the month as a further contribution and hope that everyone will be logging on to our site during Breast Cancer Awareness Month to recycle a bag of clothing so we can donate even more to this worthy cause.
Maxine Sault, MD BCR Global Textiles.
We met so many interesting people and a huge amount was raised especially from the auction charmingly staged by Jeffrey Archer. Of course the real reason we were all there was for those affected by the disease, some of them survivors others still fighting their battle. It was emotional and yet empowering to hear their personal accounts and gave so much meaning to why the money was being raised and how it was helping.
We are planning our own fundraising event with a Pink Day later in the month as a further contribution and hope that everyone will be logging on to our site during Breast Cancer Awareness Month to recycle a bag of clothing so we can donate even more to this worthy cause.
Maxine Sault, MD BCR Global Textiles.
Monday, 10 October 2011
Check Your Bags
Yet again charity bag theft has been in the spotlight this time on The One Show where the presenter went along with the police to raid a warehouse stacked with bags from recognisable charities and plenty from fake organisations.
This time the public have been called on to make sure they are responding to genuine requests for donations by taking a good look at the parcelled up bags that drop on their doorsteps.
It really is important to check that the bag has a charity number on it, a landline number you can contact in case you want to check the charity is staging a legitimate collection in your area.
It is only with the help of the public that we can continue to stay on top of these tricksters.
Maxine Sault, MD BCR Global Textiles.
This time the public have been called on to make sure they are responding to genuine requests for donations by taking a good look at the parcelled up bags that drop on their doorsteps.
It really is important to check that the bag has a charity number on it, a landline number you can contact in case you want to check the charity is staging a legitimate collection in your area.
It is only with the help of the public that we can continue to stay on top of these tricksters.
Maxine Sault, MD BCR Global Textiles.
Monday, 3 October 2011
Shoe Amnesty for Schools
Between now and half term we will be asking Dudley Schools to work hard on their three ‘R’s to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Bottoms of wardrobes and shoe racks will be emptied of their old but wearable summer shoes – the ones that don’t fit anymore, the ones which are out of season - and handed over to us. We will save them from the scrapheap and give them a new life overseas and we will be paying the school for their trouble.
It’s a great way for the schools and children to do their bit for sustainability and raise funds for their school by passing on their footwear to feet across the world which can’t wait to walk in their shoes and enjoy some quality at an affordable price.
Some 2 million pairs of shoes end up being disposed of every year and it breaks our hearts to know that so many serviceable shoes are going to waste. That is why we are holding the Shoe Amnesty so schoolchildren local to us can help us take a step in the right direction!
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle - important lessons to learn.
Maxine Sault, MD, BCR Global Textiles
It’s a great way for the schools and children to do their bit for sustainability and raise funds for their school by passing on their footwear to feet across the world which can’t wait to walk in their shoes and enjoy some quality at an affordable price.
Some 2 million pairs of shoes end up being disposed of every year and it breaks our hearts to know that so many serviceable shoes are going to waste. That is why we are holding the Shoe Amnesty so schoolchildren local to us can help us take a step in the right direction!
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle - important lessons to learn.
Maxine Sault, MD, BCR Global Textiles
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Winning Against the Clothing Collection Cheats
Thank goodness that we seem to be making headway in the fight against the bogus collectors. Now that the authorities are aware of the scale of the problem, how it really harms the business of legitimate commercial collectors like us and ultimately the charities they have instigated a national strategy to tackle it. Theft or fraud relating to charity bag collections is now officially recognised as a serious crime and the perpetrators are being caught and punished.
The biggest raid of stolen charity bag donations to date in Essex was recently reported in the press and we too have been involved in 5 successful prosecutions, notably in Surrey and Gloucestershire. Not surprisingly this has revealed that far from being an opportunist offence, there are connections with more unpleasant illegal activities involving gangs and organised crime.
I would encourage others to report any suspected activity to their local police.
Maxine Sault, MD BCR Global Textiles.
The biggest raid of stolen charity bag donations to date in Essex was recently reported in the press and we too have been involved in 5 successful prosecutions, notably in Surrey and Gloucestershire. Not surprisingly this has revealed that far from being an opportunist offence, there are connections with more unpleasant illegal activities involving gangs and organised crime.
I would encourage others to report any suspected activity to their local police.
Maxine Sault, MD BCR Global Textiles.
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Zero Waste
Interesting to hear about the family on Woman’s Hour and their experiment to achieve Zero Waste in the home. The barriers they are up against to make progress like what to do with the stuff that can’t be recycled and how to get the rest of the family on board with the idea of giving up favourite things which are likely to generate too much waste packaging, present an honest view of the challenges.
Meanwhile at BCR Global from the office point of view at least we have stopped any waste arising from our textiles recycling facility ending up in the waste stream and clogging up over-stretched and dwindling landfill. We manage this by sorting and grading all textiles and categorising them into any one of 200 grades to establish which proportion is high enough quality for reuse, which will serve for secondary reuse – mattress stuffing, industrial wipes – and which is suitable for incineration and can be converted via Waste 2 Energy.
I shall continue to listen with interest how the family deals with various materials around the home in the coming weeks.
Maxine Sault, BCR Global Textiles.
Meanwhile at BCR Global from the office point of view at least we have stopped any waste arising from our textiles recycling facility ending up in the waste stream and clogging up over-stretched and dwindling landfill. We manage this by sorting and grading all textiles and categorising them into any one of 200 grades to establish which proportion is high enough quality for reuse, which will serve for secondary reuse – mattress stuffing, industrial wipes – and which is suitable for incineration and can be converted via Waste 2 Energy.
I shall continue to listen with interest how the family deals with various materials around the home in the coming weeks.
Maxine Sault, BCR Global Textiles.
Friday, 2 September 2011
Commercial Clothing Collections on the Spot
I was a bit uncomfortable listening to the Today programme on Radio 4 (Wednesday 31st August) as a major charity and a social business went head to head about who was giving more to charity from their clothing collection activities, after all they are both doing good work.
The charity with its own retail shops was concerned that the public needed absolute transparency about the proportion of the funds arising from donated clothing being returned to the charity which turned out to be about 18% after costs were taken out, whereas the social business was giving back about half of that.
I think the important point is the difference between a business with a charity element and a charity with clothing collections as an additional income stream - both have a commercial aspect but the business is providing a service (collecting, recycling and reusing unwanted clothing) which has to be paid for and derive income for the business in order for it to operate in a sustainable fashion.
Not to mention that commercial collectors unlike charities have to pay for the clothing in the first place and there is a premium for unsorted clothes that must be borne!
In the end both parties were able to prove their activities were completely open to consumer scrutiny and they were both united in the fight against bogus clothing collectors who benefit no one but themselves. Hurray for solidarity!
Maxine Sault, MD BCR Global Textiles
The charity with its own retail shops was concerned that the public needed absolute transparency about the proportion of the funds arising from donated clothing being returned to the charity which turned out to be about 18% after costs were taken out, whereas the social business was giving back about half of that.
I think the important point is the difference between a business with a charity element and a charity with clothing collections as an additional income stream - both have a commercial aspect but the business is providing a service (collecting, recycling and reusing unwanted clothing) which has to be paid for and derive income for the business in order for it to operate in a sustainable fashion.
Not to mention that commercial collectors unlike charities have to pay for the clothing in the first place and there is a premium for unsorted clothes that must be borne!
In the end both parties were able to prove their activities were completely open to consumer scrutiny and they were both united in the fight against bogus clothing collectors who benefit no one but themselves. Hurray for solidarity!
Maxine Sault, MD BCR Global Textiles
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
Please Stay Out of Our Textile Banks
Very worried this week about textile bank thefts not only because it means the bread and butter of our business is being taken from us but also concerned that the risks these brazen ‘bin divers’ are taking may lead to a serious accident.
There is actual CCTV footage of people climbing all the way into the banks and handing out clothing to an accomplice, often damaging the bank in the process by hammering off the locks or bending the shutes to gain access inside which could be a problem for the next legitimate user.
As our textile bins are a public amenity, we are very hot on safety and security which is why we have invested in the latest design which has wider shallower double access shutes making them more convenient in accepting a bag of clothing while stopping anything larger from trying to get in. They are also bottom-opening making them harder to break into and easier to unload. We hope that this style of textile bank will act as a deterrent and at the very least any would be thieves will take note of the ‘No Entry’ signs we have had to display!
Maxine Sault, MD BCR Global Textiles
There is actual CCTV footage of people climbing all the way into the banks and handing out clothing to an accomplice, often damaging the bank in the process by hammering off the locks or bending the shutes to gain access inside which could be a problem for the next legitimate user.
As our textile bins are a public amenity, we are very hot on safety and security which is why we have invested in the latest design which has wider shallower double access shutes making them more convenient in accepting a bag of clothing while stopping anything larger from trying to get in. They are also bottom-opening making them harder to break into and easier to unload. We hope that this style of textile bank will act as a deterrent and at the very least any would be thieves will take note of the ‘No Entry’ signs we have had to display!
Maxine Sault, MD BCR Global Textiles
Monday, 18 July 2011
Supermarkets Taking Away Choice in Clothing Donations
I have taken issue with the major supermarkets many of which have made it their policy to only have clothing recycling facilities from two national charities in their car parks. Everyone else has been packed off. This is having big impact on our industry which relied on having supermarket sites allocated to them because these are the best sites for collection.
So as well as missing out on volume collection points, where we were operating on behalf of local charities particularly those without retail shops, an important income stream has been cut off in its prime.
I wonder how supporters of those local charities feel now that they have no choice in the matter of where their charitable clothing donations go? This seems wrong to me.
It’s not good news for our partners in the local authority either because in our capacity to remove textiles from the waste stream we helped them reach their recycling targets and we paid a fee to them for the clothing we collected, sorted and re-sold through export markets.
So as well as missing out on volume collection points, where we were operating on behalf of local charities particularly those without retail shops, an important income stream has been cut off in its prime.
I wonder how supporters of those local charities feel now that they have no choice in the matter of where their charitable clothing donations go? This seems wrong to me.
It’s not good news for our partners in the local authority either because in our capacity to remove textiles from the waste stream we helped them reach their recycling targets and we paid a fee to them for the clothing we collected, sorted and re-sold through export markets.
In the interests of fairness and consumer choice, definitely time for a rethink!
Maxine Sault, MD BCR Global Textiles
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
A Bring Back Scheme is an Ethical Bonus
Helping customers to make ethical shopping choices is a powerful hook for engagement that retailers are beginning to catch on to and setting up a Bring Back Scheme can be a great solution, particularly for the value end of the market.
As champions of reuse and recycling at BCR Global where we collect, sort and export quality second-hand clothing for overseas markets we are keen to work directly with retailers to maximise the reuse and recycling of the clothing they produce.
We feel strongly that if value retailers want to boost their ethical capital with their customers and rid themselves of the spectre of throwaway fashion, a Bring Back Scheme encouraging customers to take back their wearable but no longer required clothing for reuse and recycling will not only prove that retailer’s clothing is of suitable quality in the first place but also that they take responsibility for the environment.
By providing an avenue for recycling and reuse the retailer can also take some of the pressure off the customer who is increasingly aware of the need to recycle more in the home and reduce the waste that ends up in the bin and subsequently in landfill. But perhaps one of the best things about a Bring Back Scheme is that the customer genuinely feels good about a shopping experience whereby they are given permission to purge their wardrobes of items they no longer wear and replace any essential items with a clear conscience!
Maxine Sault, MD BCR Global Textiles.
As champions of reuse and recycling at BCR Global where we collect, sort and export quality second-hand clothing for overseas markets we are keen to work directly with retailers to maximise the reuse and recycling of the clothing they produce.
We feel strongly that if value retailers want to boost their ethical capital with their customers and rid themselves of the spectre of throwaway fashion, a Bring Back Scheme encouraging customers to take back their wearable but no longer required clothing for reuse and recycling will not only prove that retailer’s clothing is of suitable quality in the first place but also that they take responsibility for the environment.
By providing an avenue for recycling and reuse the retailer can also take some of the pressure off the customer who is increasingly aware of the need to recycle more in the home and reduce the waste that ends up in the bin and subsequently in landfill. But perhaps one of the best things about a Bring Back Scheme is that the customer genuinely feels good about a shopping experience whereby they are given permission to purge their wardrobes of items they no longer wear and replace any essential items with a clear conscience!
Maxine Sault, MD BCR Global Textiles.
Monday, 20 June 2011
Recycle Week 2011
Recycling Home and Away is the theme of this year’s Recycle Week where everyone is encouraged to think about what can be recycled, how best to recycle it using whatever local facilities are available and to think about recycling not just a home but while out and about too.
There is also a big emphasis on items that can and should be re-used which is a focus for BCR Global all year round. We are in the business of collecting and sorting unwanted clothing, shoes and other textiles that still have life in them and sending them abroad to be re-sold to people who don’t have access to or can’t afford to buy new clothing.
This kind of sustainable recycling prevents an awful lot of waste whereby people might find it easier to bin their clothing so it ends up clogging a landfill site, taking centuries to break down and sometimes giving off unpleasant fumes.
By providing many avenues for recycling and reuse – clothing and shoe banks, toy banks and bra banks to name but a few, our aim is to make it easy for everyone to help us take as many serviceable textiles out of the waste stream as possible and make sure that good quality items are made perfect use of by someone who really needs them on the other side of the world.
Our dedication to recycling at home is close to obsessive as nothing but nothing goes to landfill from our depot. Everything is either reused, recycled into filling for mattresses and the like; while the rest is sent to the incinerator for conversion - Waste to Energy. It is not easy and not inexpensive to do this but we do it because we believe it is right.
Maxine Sault, MD, BCR Global Textiles
There is also a big emphasis on items that can and should be re-used which is a focus for BCR Global all year round. We are in the business of collecting and sorting unwanted clothing, shoes and other textiles that still have life in them and sending them abroad to be re-sold to people who don’t have access to or can’t afford to buy new clothing.
This kind of sustainable recycling prevents an awful lot of waste whereby people might find it easier to bin their clothing so it ends up clogging a landfill site, taking centuries to break down and sometimes giving off unpleasant fumes.
By providing many avenues for recycling and reuse – clothing and shoe banks, toy banks and bra banks to name but a few, our aim is to make it easy for everyone to help us take as many serviceable textiles out of the waste stream as possible and make sure that good quality items are made perfect use of by someone who really needs them on the other side of the world.
Our dedication to recycling at home is close to obsessive as nothing but nothing goes to landfill from our depot. Everything is either reused, recycled into filling for mattresses and the like; while the rest is sent to the incinerator for conversion - Waste to Energy. It is not easy and not inexpensive to do this but we do it because we believe it is right.
Maxine Sault, MD, BCR Global Textiles
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
New Partnership with Meningitis Trust
I was so excited to meet and shake hands with HRH The Countess of Wessex, Patron of the Meningitis Trust when Lynne and I visited the charity as part of its 25th Anniversary celebrations.
It was a good way of cementing relations with them and talking about our latest innovation to combat bogus charity bag collections www.bcrmeningitistrust.co.uk. The news of donation bags being taken from doorsteps and fake charities collecting for their own pockets has really shaken up the public. Actual clothing donations are down by 20% and another charity said the practice was costing them £3million in lost donations.
The new website is our way of carrying the banner – donating your wearable clothing is still a great way to re-use recycle and donate. Let’s keep the message out there.
It was a good way of cementing relations with them and talking about our latest innovation to combat bogus charity bag collections www.bcrmeningitistrust.co.uk. The news of donation bags being taken from doorsteps and fake charities collecting for their own pockets has really shaken up the public. Actual clothing donations are down by 20% and another charity said the practice was costing them £3million in lost donations.
The new website is our way of carrying the banner – donating your wearable clothing is still a great way to re-use recycle and donate. Let’s keep the message out there.
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