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Closing the loop through recycling and upcycling
First, we Source.
Clothes to Good sources post-consumer clothing, shoes, bedding, curtains, fashion accessories and other textile waste from schools, corporate volunteerism programmes and H&M stores nationally. Funds are continuously created based on the number of usable kilogrammes recycled which is utilised to run different social impact projects such as Clothes to Trees, Clothes to Play, Clothes to Wheels or Clothes to Cash (where funds could be utilised for other projects)
Then we Process
All sourced post-consumer clothing and other textile waste is processed at our recycling facility in Centurion, South Africa by our team which include people with disabilities. Items are sorted and categorised to go into one of the following streams:
Pre-loved clothing, shoes, fashion accessories , and other textiles in good condition is sold to our micro-businesses of which 56 are mothers of children with disabilities. They resell to their communities to generate an income for their families. Clothing items that require repairs or items that could still be worn but are not ‘sell-quality’ anymore are donated to our ‘non-profit partners.
Into early childhood development resources, soft toys and a variety of homeware products through our Enabling Denim programme. These products include aprons, dog-beds, placemats, floor pillows and much more..
Into rags though our ragging partner Sir Trading
Clothes to Good is closing the loop through Connacher who shreds “unusable” textile waste to fine shred to be used as stuffing for the mattress-, insulation- and motor industries.
Only clothes that is not safe for human consumption (e.g., moulded clothes) will be incinerated.
These women and mothers are initially introduced to us through our collaboration with Afrika Tikkun before embarking on our full therapy-driven assessment and training programme.
As part of the Micro-business programme mothers receive:
financial literacy and wellness training
general sales training
business support and ongoing mentorship.
When they purchase their first 10kg bale of clothing from Clothes to Good they feel empowered and supported to run their own businesses.
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Micro-business development
Many women and mothers endure financial hardship. Mothers of children with disabilities are particularly vulnerable – often stranded at home and excluded from employment opportunities because there is no one to care for their children. Today the Micro-business programme empowers 108 women – 56 of whom have children with disabilities – to become successful entrepreneurs by selling pre-loved clothes. It breaks down the barriers to employment and ultimately empowers women to become entrepreneurs in their own communities while providing for their families, put food on the table, pay rent and school fees, grow their individual ventures, create further employment opportunities and have hope for the future.
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Skills development and employment opportunities
for people with disabilities
We believe that:
people with disabilities could and should become contributing members of society
many people with disabilities could become successfully employed if they are prepared well and supported after placement
an atmosphere of high expectations will result in achieving this goal
Our work readiness program is called
OnRoute@Clothestogood
The aims of the programme:
Provide
To provide work enrichment experiences for people with disabilities in a variety of employment settings and to extend their skills base
Prepare
To prepare people with disabilities for success in integrated, competitive employment through continuous enhancement of their potential
Find
To find suitable positions and successfully place people with disabilities in these positions
Support
Long-term support to students, their families, employers and co-workers
Workplace
Changing perceptions about people with disabilities in the workplace.
Are you interested to employ people with disabilities in your organisation/company?
Awareness and sensitization
We can help you with the process! Contact us for a disability awareness and sensitization workshop for your business or organisation.
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Early Childhood Development Programme
123ECD Toolkit
The 123 ECD toolkit consists of 50 educational activities/resources made mostly from recyclable materials. These activities/resources were developed by an occupational and speech therapist and aim to stimulate and develop the following developmental areas:
Introduction to programme
Children living in disadvantaged environments are more likely to be exposed to multiple risk factors in the early years of life including poor health, malnutrition and low levels of stimulation. These children are at risk of not developing to their full potential on a physical, emotional and intellectual level.
Therefore, early childhood stimulation, specifically empowering caregivers at informal ECD centres with knowledge about early childhood development and skills to stimulate and educate children, is imperative in providing children with a better chance of future academic and economic success.
- Gross motor
- Fine motor
- Literacy
- Numeracy
- Perception
- Speech and language and;
- Social skills
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The Enabling Denim programme
People with disabilities and their families changing the world through recycled denim
At Clothes to Good we find great joy in utilising post-consumer textile waste to empower people through an asset-based approach and empowering communities to “use what they have, where they are”.
When thousands of pairs of pre-loved jeans took over our recycling facility, the Enabling Denim Project came to life.
For the last three years our team of young people with disabilities upcycle denim into various early childhood development and soft toys for children in disadvantaged communities, providing them with skills development and employment opportunities.
Now, mothers of children with disabilities are starting to create disability specific resources for at risk children which will provide them with much needed income for their families.
We are Dreaming about Denim and of the SO MUCH BIGGER difference it could make for people children with Disabilities and their families.
Our Volunteer programme is unique – just like you.
Become a Volunteer
Get in touch to discuss volunteer opportunities at Clothes to Good.