Online clothes recycling scheme launched to raise money for breast cancer research

Press release For immediate release: 01 February 2011 Press contact: Marilena Patuto, mpatuto@breastcancercampaign.org, 020 7749 3720 Online clothes recycling scheme launched to raise money for breast cancer research Donating your unwanted clothes and shoes has been made easier with the launch of a new online textile recycling service set up to raise money for breast cancer research. The scheme, provided by BCR Global Textiles in partnership with Breast Cancer Campaign, allows you to now go online to arrange for your unwanted textiles to be collected for recycling, from the comfort of your own home or even from your workplace. For every tonne of clothes recycled under the scheme, Breast Cancer Campaign will receive £200 towards funding research into breast cancer. According to figures from the Department for the Environment, over two million tonnes of textile waste is generated annually, with only 24 per cent of this collected for re-use and recycling. The free collection service is available across the UK, so there is an opportunity for everyone to avoid throwing wearable items of clothes and paired shoes in the bin. Simply visit www.bcrbreastcancercampaign.com and register to receive a recycling clothes bag, fill it up in your own time and then log back on to let BCR Global Textiles know when it is ready for collection. The online initiative is being backed by fashion designer Savannah Miller, owner of fashion label Twenty8Twelve. Savannah said: “With today’s trend for fast fashion it’s more important than ever to make sure we think about ways to get rid of our unwanted clothes as ethically as possible. BCR Global’s new website makes it easier and more convenient for you to recycle your textiles while also raising money for Breast Cancer Campaign, so there is no reason that even fashion horrors from the past should be banished to the bin.” Lynne Timms, BCR Global’s Contracts Manager, said: “People across the UK now have an easier and more convenient way to recycle unwanted clothes and pairs of shoes. Now is the perfect time to spring clean your wardrobe and help raise money for Breast Cancer Campaign.” Franklin Jacoyange, Breast Cancer Campaign Partnerships Account Manager, said: “Textile recycling is an important source of income for many charities and is a popular way for supporters to get rid of unwanted textiles. Every unwanted piece of clothing and paired shoes donated will raise money to help us to fund innovative research into breast cancer.” BCR Global Textiles has raised £36,622.26 for Breast Cancer Campaign since 2008 through door to door recycling collections and from the clothes donated via their textile recycling banks, which are located across the UK. Ends Notes to editors • Breast Cancer Campaign aims to beat breast cancer by funding innovative world-class research to understand how breast cancer develops, leading to improved diagnosis, treatment, prevention and cure. • Currently it supports 92 research projects, worth over £16.6 million, in 34 centres of excellence across the UK and Ireland • Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK and accounts for nearly one in three of all cancers in women • In the UK, nearly 46,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year – that’s 125 a day • Visit www.breastcancercampaign.org • Read Chief Executive Pamela Goldberg’s blog http://pamelagoldbergblog.blogspot.com/ BCR Global Textiles BCR Global Textiles is a family run organisation specialising in the re-use and recycling of textiles. To find out more about BCR Global Textiles, please visit www.bcrglobal.com What happens to the recycled clothes? All donated textiles will be sorted by BCR Global and graded. They are then sold at affordable prices in developing countries where they are in great demand. BCR sells them to traders in third world countries to support their own businesses. This creates employment in poorer environments and allows the residents in these areas to make the choice as to what to purchase whilst creating a viable economy. Savannah Miller Savannah Miller owns fashion label Twenty8Twelve with actress sister Sienna Miller. For more information about Savannah and the label, please visit http://www.twenty8twelve.com/

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