Supermarket giant Lidl and CLIC Sargent are teaming up to turn shoppers‘ unwanted threads into gold by recycling clothes and other textiles to raise money for children and young people with cancer.
All of the proceeds from the new recycling banks, which are being trialled at 10 Lidl stores in the Midlands, will go to CLIC Sargent, the UK‘s leading cancer charity for children and young people. The trial is taking place between 12 August and 19 October, with the possibility it may go nationwide if it is successful.
If 100 stores take part, the textile recycling banks which includes clothing, towels, sheets, blankets, curtains and paired shoes, could raise an estimated £250,000 a year. Recycled textiles are said to be cheaper than traditional materials and are in demand in industry, where they are used for everything from loft insulation to the wadding for padded envelopes.
Lidl stores already taking part in the scheme include ones in Luton, Corby, Sleaford in Lincolnshire, Coventry Coalville in Leicestershire and Bicester in Oxfordshire.
Lidl recently grew its UK market share to 3.1 per cent last month – its strongest result ever.
The discount supermarket has pledged to raise £150,000 for the charity, a target that it has already exceeded. The partnership runs until December.
Georgina O‘Donnell, Lidl UK‘s Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, said: “Textile recycling is environmentally friendly which has always been a very strong focus for us as a company.
“We have always charged for plastic carrier bags, for example; we never airfreight products; we recycle 1,800 tonnes of mixed plastic each year alone. So the textile recycling trial not only adds another dimension to our fundraising partnership with CLIC Sargent, but it is also very much aligned with our environmental objectives.”
