The British Red Cross is leading the call for used clothing and other unwanted items in a bid to raise money for the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan which hit the Philippines last weekend.
However, textile reprocessors have raised concerns that the extra material which may be donated as a result of the appeal could leave a glut of rag on the market.
In the wake of the disaster which has left thousands dead and hundreds of thousands homeless and without food, water and shelter, a number of international charities including Oxfam, The Salvation Army and Christian Aid are calling for cash donations. In addition, some charities, in particular the British Red Cross, are urging the pubic to donate unwanted items including ‘good quality’ used clothing, books and furniture to their shops to help raise further funds.
The Red Cross said it was encouraging shop drops in its 330 stores across the UK urging people to donate their unwanted items to be sold to raise money for the typhoon appeal.
British Red Cross director of fundraising, Mark Astarita, said: “The people of the Philippines have suffered unimaginable devastation; thousands of people have lost loved ones and hundreds of thousands have lost their homes. There is now an enormous humanitarian operation underway to provide survivors with basic shelter, sanitation and food. We know that people in Britain desperately want to help but many just dont have the money to give, which is why we have launched Shop Drop for the Philippines. By simply donating a bag of unwanted clothes and household items to your local Red Cross shop you can make a real difference to the millions of people affected by Typhoon Haiyan.”
As a result of the call for donations, charities are confident they will receive more used clothing through their shops. Oxfam said it has anecdotal evidence of this happening in the past, particularly after the tsunami which hit Indonesia in 2004.
Donations of used clothing will be sold in the charity shops or sent on for further reprocessing usually either shipped abroad for reuse or shredded for recycling. The clothing will not be shipped to the Philippines and the Philippine Embassy in London has said that clothing does not need to be sent from the UK.
Reprocessors of used clothing and other textiles voiced concerns that the call for donations of clothing and other goods could result in excess material on the market. This would be at a time when supply is outstripping demand, meaning they could be left with full warehouses over Christmas.
One textile recycler from the Nottingham area told letsrecycle.com: We might get a glut of rags because of this appeal. At the moment there is more than enough material on the market anyway and supply is outstripping demand so this will impact prices which may fall. This will not help the situation.
Exports
Ross Barry, business development manager at London-based firm LMB and president of the Textile Recycling Association, said he expected there to be a rise in shop and bank donations. One thing that could happen though is that charity shops will receive more clothing donations, which they can use to raise money for the appeal. This would lead to more material on the market for textile recyclers.
Mr Barry added: It is very rare for donated clothing to be taken into disaster areas. I know that after the tsunami disaster a lot of people donated anyway thinking it was the right thing to do.
They [the Philippines] do have a domestic textile trade so they would buy new clothing locally sending clothes out there would be like sending coals to Newcastle. The whole area has got a very strong domestic textile market so it is not an established market for us anyway.
Donations
Matthew Frost, chief executive of Tearfund a member agency of the Disasters Emergency Committee said the best way for people to help was to either donate money. ‘People are incredibly generous at times like this and we often receive lovely donations of clothes and other gifts. The most useful gift to help people in the Philippines is a financial donation, because this helps us to get food, water and blankets to people who are stranded.
If you have clothes you want to donate, one of the best places to do that is in a high street charity shop where they will be sold locally and the money raised will help people around the world. Many charity shops are also receiving financial donations for the DEC Philippines Typhoon Appeal.
JCB
Meanwhile, British manufacturer JCB is sending machines and generators worth more than 311,779 to the Philippines to help with clear up operations. A fleet of three 3CX backhoe loaders and more than 120 JCB electrical generators are being provided through the companys Filipino dealer Camec.
The manufacturer has previously helped countries affected by natural disasters in this way and in 2006 it sent equipment to the Philippines following Typhoon Reming, as well as in the wake of the 2004 tsunami in Southern India.
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