Caritas Central Switzerland is testing a new collection system for clothing donations using reusable shipping bags from SendMeBag GmbH. The aim is to make the cycle of clothing more efficient and sustainable. According to a statement from the startup based in Horw in the Swiss canton of Lucerne, Caritas Central Switzerland has intentionally stopped offering clothing collection bins, as these are reportedly often used for disposal rather than donation. Every year, millions of tons of exported used clothing end up in landfills around the world in places like Chile and Ghana.
The charity is now adopting a model that accepts mailed donations. Anyone wishing to donate clothing can order a SendMeBag shipping envelope online, fill it with clothes, and send it to Caritas using the prepaid return label. The organizers hope this will improve the quality of the donations.
“We are very excited about our partnership with Caritas and are eager to see how this model develops,” write the SendMeBag founders. Reto Stalder, director of Second Chance, who uses the bags at the Caritas Central Switzerland second-hand store in Emmenbrücke in the Swiss canton of Lucerne added in another statement: “If we’re going to reuse, let’s do it right.”
The project has now been running for about a month, and the geographic reach of the donations has already expanded. A SendMeBag costs 10 francs, and all proceeds go to social projects run by Caritas Central Switzerland. ce/as