Sainsbury’s partners with Newlife to recycle old stock

Sainsbury’s has announced the roll out of its partnership with Newlife, a UK-based charity for disabled children, to all supermarkets following a “successful” trial. 

Newlife has reportedly built its foundation around recycling, reprocessing, and reusing clothing to support 1.1 million disabled and terminally ill children in the UK.

The partnership between the retailer and children’s charity began in 2019 when the brand had donated 65.5 tonnes of unsellable clothing returns and faulty garments to the charity. 

In addition, any of Sainsbury’s Tu clothing range that is not fit for resale in store will reportedly be recycled or resold by Newlife to help fund its charity work. This in turn supports the company’s “commitments within its sustainability strategy”, Plan for Better. 

The money raised from reselling clothes in one of Newlife’s nine stores around the UK will also help fund loans of sensory play equipment, grants for disability equipment, as well as emergency equipment loans for families. Charity shop sales also help to fund Newlife’s nurse-run national helpline, which provides compassionate support for families with disabled and terminally ill children. 

The partnership also has a positive impact on the environment, as all faulty garments that cannot be resold will reportedly be broken down into raw materials so they can be recycled or reused for a different purpose, such as car insulation and dog bed stuffing. 

Newlife works with over 300 leading retailers and manufacturers across the UK and Europe who donate items that would otherwise be destined for landfill. 

Stephen Johnson, director of technical and ethical at Sainsbury’s, said: “Sainsbury’s is committed to taking action to protect the environment and to supporting our local communities. We’re pleased to be rolling out our partnership with Newlife across all of our supermarkets and are incredibly proud of what we have achieved together so far. 

“Not only does our partnership support the charity’s vital work in assisting so many children across the UK, but it also helps us to deliver our commitment to support local communities, whilst helping our planet too by protecting resources and reducing waste.” 

Stephen Morgan, Newlife’s operations director, said: “We are so pleased that our trial with Sainsbury’s went well and that the new partnership will be rolled out to all Sainsbury’s stores on a long term basis. By working together we are making a huge difference to the planet and people and it means we can help more families in need.”