Sustainability

Sustainable shopping at St Peter's Hospice shops

According to a 2020 study,* the fashion industry creates 92 million tonnes of waste per year and consumes 1.5 trillion litres of water. Chemical pollution and high levels of CO2 emissions add to the problem of fast fashion, and mass manufacturing as a whole.

As ethical shoppers, we can all do our bit – by buying fewer new clothes, and increasing garment lifetimes.

Buying second-hand from St Peter’s Hospice shops is a simple way to break the cycle of fast fashion, and give clothes a longer life. 

We also sell many other preloved items, including books, toys and homeware, and end-of-line brand new items from accessories to furniture which might otherwise go to landfill. 

 

* The environmental price of fast fashion, Kirsi Niinimäki et al, Nat Rev Earth Environ 1, 189–200 (2020).

Our commitment to sustainability

As well as offering our shoppers a way to buy sustainably, we're continuously working on improving our in-house processes across all our services.

  • Using recycled bubble wrap, biodegradable packing peanuts and donated or reused packaging for posting purchases from our ebay shop
  • Reusing donated cardboard from local businesses instead of immediately recycling
  • Working with local suppliers for deliveries, to reduce transport emissions
  • Use of biodegradable cleaning products in our stores
  • Use of biodegradable bags in our stores
  • Smart meters installed in our stores
  • We have a Green Working Group and a plan created

Our future plans include a programme of installing LED lights into all shops, installing draught excluders where practical, replacing fridges at 8 years old, gradual replacement of storage heaters, and putting timers on relevant switches.

Retired art teacher, Liz, is putting her sewing and knitting skills to good use, making new clothes from old materials. Sustainable September: Making New from Old