Our mission is to reduce textile waste to landfill, to up-skill people so they can repair and upcycle clothing, and to contribute to a cultural shift in how we understand clothing and its impact on the environment.
We have 30+ active ResQ volunteers busy mending and making saleable items from discarded quality textiles.
We are a non-profit organisation, partnered with Nelson Tasman Hospice and under the umbrella of the Nelson Environment Centre.
Our work is important because
Clothing production has nearly doubled in recent years and is often produced in countries with poor working conditions or the use of modern slavery.
Fast Fashion has a huge carbon footprint - 8-10% of global CO2 emissions, more than international air travel and maritime shipping combined. NZ imports increasing amounts of low quality synthetic clothing.
OpShops are overwhelmed with donations of clothing and the only place for unsold clothing is landfill.
Textile waste is one of New Zealand’s fastest growing waste streams: “half a tonne of clothing goes to landfill in NZ every 5 mins” (Jacinta Fitzgerald CEO of Mindful Fashion)
