Do you have a lot of clothes that you don’t wear? Give them a second life this festive season by sending them to upcycling outfits
Do you have a lot of clothes that you don’t wear? Give them a second life this festive season by sending them to upcycling outfits
Did you know that in India more than 1 million tonnes of cloth – most coming from households – is thrown away every year? So, as you start preparing for the festive season and take a deep dive into cleaning out your wardrobe to make room for new clothes, perhaps it’s time to opt for a sustainable approach this year. And, we are here to help. Below are organizations across the country that accept clothing and apparel donations, and upcycle them to make everything from toys and pet beds to paper weights and jewellery.
Artisans of Cloth Box Foundation | photo credit: special arrangement
Cloths Box Foundation, Gurgaon
This year, the organization is not only running multiple collection events with brands like American Eagle, but also focusing on selling their upcycled products. Except innerwear, they accept used wearable fabrics from the common man and industrial surplus fabrics from the textile industry. “It can be any material, and we accept all sizes,” says Sajan Veer Abrol, Founder and Managing Trustee. Once the clothes reach them, they are sorted into categories ‘suitable for delivery’ and ‘for recycled’. “The ratio is around 70:30. The ones in good condition are donated among the underprivileged, while the bad and torn ones are directed to our in-house recycling facility, Refresh,” says Sajan. The organization employs marginalized women to recycle these discarded clothing into blankets, bags, pet beds, cushions, bundles, laptop bags etc. and also trains them in industrial tailoring.
Collection details: For drop off at their Gurugram center (Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm), WhatsApp 7838371356. Home Pickup by Third Party Seller is available across India at clothboxfoundation.org/pickup.
Collection facilities in the West | photo credit: special arrangement
Ruined, Chennai and Bangalore
All types of fabric waste including clothes that are no longer useful, sewing scraps, torn or stained clothes, sheets, curtains, etc., are accepted here. “We accept socks and undergarments in any condition, as they are packaged separately from other clothing,” says founder Ann Anara, “We always encourage people in their own circles to donate clothes to or to the needy.” Huh. If they are unable to do so, they are welcome to leave it with us.”
With several collection drives planned for the festive season, Wested also has a primary drop off center at T Nagar and branches in Palavakkam, Kotturpuram and Kottivakkam. Depending on the condition and type of clothing, they are either donated (to NGOs such as Karunai Ulangal and Arpanam Trust), sold at a nominal cost to communities that cannot afford to buy clothes and for less Prices are sold to people who are environmentally conscious. Torn and stained clothes are sent for recycling/downcycling.
Wested’s Thrift Store | photo credit: special arrangement
“Some clothing is donated to local businesses that turn them into utility items, and other waste clothing is sent to informal/formal waste aggregators, and to fill for headscarves, door mats, and pillows/mattresses is downcycled,” Ann says. That as a policy, the team does not resell baby and children’s clothing. “We also help women generate income by giving them free stock that they can sell within their communities,” she concludes.
Collection details: Call 9751755522 for Chennai and 9376776795 for Bengaluru
Oh Scrap!, Chennai
Founded by Priyanjoli Basu and Dominic Lopez, Oh Scrap! Garment exporters and tailoring units manufacturing everything from fabric scraps to wine bottle holders and bunting to hair accessories and toys. “We deal with clothes, home linens, saris, dupattas and denim – they can be used, torn or stained. But we do not accept winter clothing, innerwear, swimwear, socks, shoes and bags,” says Dominic.
A creation by Oh Scrap! Madras | photo credit: special arrangement
Once handed over to the team, the items are either donated to local NGOs, recycled, recycled or eventually thrifted. “We separate them based on their condition, wash, and then redistribute them to our partners for donation/recycling), or use them to propose our own thrift, upcycling, and so on,” she says, Two-thirds of her sewing team is comprised of women, and all tailors work from home.
Collection details: Email ohscrapmadras@gmail.com or 8925519960. call on
MITU, Bangalore
At MITU, unstitched products such as saris, dhotis, dupattas and curtains are converted into bags with minimal wastage. Founder Kala Charlu says, “Various types of bags like return gift/tambula bags to clutch and tote bags are made by a team of tailors mostly women working from our office as well as their homes. “
Cloth Toys at MITU | photo credit: special arrangement
Collection details: Donations can be dropped at his office in Malleswaram. If the quantity is large enough, arrangements can be made for pickup from donors within a radius of three kilometres. Call 7847086668, 974001720.
Chhota, Kerala
When Deepa Pradeep — who runs a Facebook page, Small, to retail her handmade home decor products — was approached by customers to create something out of fabric they didn’t want to discard, her upcycling initiative was born. Happened. “We upcycle bed sheets, sarees, and denim brought in by our customers or our tailors scrap/surplus fabrics, which are used for curtains, shopping or sling bags, cushion covers, table runners, coasters, wall hangings, fabric jewellery, diaries, and do a lot. says Deepa.
Collection details: Due to space constraints, Deepa does not accept bulk drop offs, but you can reach out to Smalls for personalized and custom upcycled products. Short on Facebook.
A wall hanging by Deepa Pradeep. photo credit: special arrangement
Twirl, Kolkata
You can donate anything made of cloth – clothes, sheets, curtains – as long as it is not torn or completely discolored. “All the ingredients are segregated, cleaned, processed and then recycled as per the requirement,” says founder Sujata Chatterjee, adding that Twirl is an all-girls team, with the entire process being done by women from rural backgrounds . Women’s craft bags, aprons, dog toys, fabric paper weights, cushions, desk organizers, among other accessories. “We also design custom products for gifting organizations and corporates,” says Sujata, who distributes 40% of her donations to rural communities in remote villages and slums of the city.
Collection details: Home pick-up can be organized in Kolkata, and drop points are also available at many locations. Donations from other cities are also accepted. For more information whatsapp 9007428062.
A creation by Twirl | photo credit: special arrangement
Reimagined, Bangalore
Known for its work with innovative materials such as tire tubes, wood and glass, Reimagined also turns fabric waste into utility products. Founder Shailaja Rangarajan says the organization collects surplus fabrics from apparel, cotton and synthetic sarees, stitched fabrics, bedsheets, cotton curtains and denim.
Storage Basket Crafted at Reimagined | photo credit: special arrangement
“Once the cloth waste reaches us, it goes through a sorting phase. We assess the condition of the fabric, and if it’s too discolored or stained, we usually can’t upcycle it, so it’s sent to dry waste centers. The fabric we can use goes through a thorough washing and then goes upstairs,” she says, adding that the products created include fabric rope baskets, trays, personalized quilts, bags and pouches. Are included. If the team finds clothes in good condition, they donate them instead of going the upcycling route.
Collection details: If you are based in Bangalore, you can have your clothes shipped to their local center. For other cities, you can route it to their main hub in Kolkata. For more information call on 9741977556