Spending hours ‘thrifting’ in a charity shop to find a one-off item that no one else has, has so many shoppers captivated, and it seems for the younger generation it’s really on the rise. Research shows they’re turning their backs on the damaging fast fashion market as they prioritise making climate-conscious decisions.
With 20 shops across North Staffordshire and more planned for the future, Dougie Mac’s quest is to be even more sustainable while maintaining donor confidence. The hospice always strives to get the best price for the pre-loved items its loyal supporters donate, whether it be on the shop floor, on its online shop or via online marketplaces, like eBay. Last year donations to Dougie Mac shops generated more than £260,000 in Gift Aid alone – reinforcing the aim to maximise income and have as little waste as possible from each and every pre-loved item.
All items donated to Dougie Mac’s charity shops are sorted by hand, with staff and volunteers working behind the scenes to sort, check and price every item. With thousands of items donated to its shops every week, and a focus on selling great quality items at affordable prices, there are inevitably some items which can’t be re- sold. What you might not realise though is that Dougie Mac has a huge recycling operation, working with various partners, to recycle items including clothing, cardboard, sewing machines, CDs and DVDs, books, vinyl records and bikes, ensuring nothing goes to waste and generating maximum income for the hospice.
Head of Retail, Liz Clarke said, “We have a very strong focus on ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ and our aim is to get to 5% waste by 2023. This year alone we’ve stopped over 1,530,000 items from going into landfill by selling them in our shops or online, and we’ve recycled over 400,000 kilos of recyclable products, once again preventing these items from going into landfill and ensuring Dougie Mac is climate conscious and sustainable.”
Thanks to the local community, each year Dougie Mac retail contributes more than £3million of income to sustain the hospice’s specialist care services. Following the amalgamation of The Donna Louise Children’s Hospice into Dougie Mac last year, this care now extends to children and young adults, as well as adults, facing life-limiting conditions across Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire.
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