There are many great ways in which you can support charities in your area and one thing which we should all be doing more of is looking to donate our used clothing. This is why many charities will have a clothes drive from time to time, and there are a number of reasons why this is so important.

If you do see any local or national charities which are looking to kick off a clothes drive then you should look to get involved as much as you can in order to make a big difference. This could be donating your own clothes or helping to drum up support so that others donate their clothing too, and here is why it is so important.

Environmental

The production of clothing around the world uses a huge amount of energy in both the fabrication and the transportation of this product. The reason for this is that most clothing manufacturers will use workshops in Asia and Africa, for consumption in the Americas and throughout Europe. This means mass transportation which results in high levels of energy usage and airplane fuel, all of which serves to damage the environment.

Exploitation

In terms of the rights and the treatments of workers the worst industries for that is the precious metals and minerals mining industry and the clothing industry. Through donating your clothes you can make sure that someone else is able to get low cost clothing, the result of this is that they will be less dependent on cheap producers which will lower the demand and therefore help to reduce the number of these sweatshops which exist around the world.

Supporting Community

There is also a very important point here about helping out your local community and using the things that you no longer want, so that other people can have some new clothes. This is not just about providing clothing for people who couldn’t afford it, although that is a part of this, but rather it is about creating a sharing economy where we don’t waste, but instead reuse. As much as you should be donating your old clothes, it is also about buying second hand clothing yourself, to help reduce the waste culture which we live in.

Helping Charities

Through dong this you will be significantly helping charities to make money which they can then put towards their particular mission. Charities have to raise money wherever they possibly can and selling clothing through their stores is, and has long been, one of the best options for them in terms of making money. If you are able to donate some clothing which they can make money from, then you will be doing a great deal to help their cause.

If you see a clothes drive in your area then get behind it and get as many people involved as well, the more that donate, the bigger the impact we can have.