CharityLab for sustainable handling of clothing donations

The German Clothing Foundation offers space for research, education and development.

The German Clothing Foundation is first and foremost an aid organization. It supports people in need at home and abroad with numerous projects. With the CharityLab in Berlin, it has created a place where sustainable strategies and cooperation are possible and which can be used for thematic events.

With the EU textile strategy, which is to be implemented step by step, the EU is focusing on the sustainability of textiles placed on the market and on the principles of the circular economy. The focus here is on the vision of using durable and recyclable textiles by 2030 and producing them in compliance with social rights and environmental protection. Mandatory minimum values are set for the use of recycled fibers in textiles. The aim is to ensure that products can be used for longer and are easier to repair and recycle. In addition, the destruction of unsold goods is prohibited under certain conditions - this also applies to returns. The German Clothing Foundation expressly welcomes this development. To this end, the aid organization has set up a CharityLab in Adlershof, Berlin's most important science, business and media location.

The German Clothing Foundation is committed to improving the living conditions of people in need. At the same time, it does not close its eyes to other aspects of the textile industry, supply chains, recycling and sustainability. "Sorting out clothes in a meaningful way is an issue that each and every one of us can easily support," says Ulrich Müller, Managing Director of the Kleiderstiftung. "In the course of current sustainability debates, it is also becoming increasingly interesting for schools, universities and research institutions to address these issues." Because it will become more important in the future to distinguish between valuable clothing donations and disposal, educational institutions, among others, will find the space in the CharityLab to inform themselves, but also to develop concepts, implement projects and make a contribution to a more sustainable use of clothing. The foundation is happy to provide teachers and students with donated textiles for this purpose.

The aid organization is also preparing for increased demand for cooperation opportunities from manufacturers and retailers in the textile sector. At the CharityLab in Berlin Adlershof, the foundation offers numerous services and offers for companies that decide to use their goods for humanitarian purposes. The foundation also wants to give employees of manufacturers and sellers an insight into their humanitarian work and enable them to work with the foundation on a temporary basis.