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
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