Sustainable Secondhand Sale

Thank you to all who participated in our Sustainable Secondhand Sale last week! And a special thank you to the group of dedicated parents and students who put together and maintained our elegant display! Our second effort at making our uniforms more sustainable was even more successful than our first in April!

September's Sale was held over two days last week. We served a record-setting 159 shoppers, and we sold 129kg worth of uniforms! That is the equivalent of 216 full primary uniforms that were saved from landfills this autumn. We recirculated 61% of the uniform that was donated – firmly meeting our stated goal of recirculating 50-75% of captured uniform. By recirculating these uniforms, we do not require oil, natural gas, or water to produce new ones, and we do not send outgrown ones to landfills—a virtuous circular economy.

Well done, BISB! 

Uniform Stewardship Project

There are many benefits to wearing uniforms, but they have become an unintended form of 'fast fashion'. Through our new BISB Uniform Stewardship Program, we can change that. We can reap the many benefits of school uniforms while making them more sustainable. However, we can't do it without our community's strong support and participation in donating outgrown uniforms and exchanging or buying secondhand. Last week's Sustainable Secondhand Sale was an important step in our Project and in becoming better stewards of our uniforms and their impact.

Student Involvement

The Uniform Stewardship Program is spearheaded by a group of dedicated IB students with outside project management mentorship. Younger students are also getting involved through their Changemakers CCAs. September's Sale was made possible in part by Year 3 Marigold as well!

How to Participate in BISB Uniform Stewardship Program's Future Events

We plan to hold the next Exchange and Sale in December and another in April 2023. We will begin formal collection in November. But, our Uniform Stewardship Program aims to capture 90-100% of all uniforms in our community – even your stained, torn and worn-out uniform. The project's next phase will be to recycle and upcycle these unsuitable uniforms. So, in November, we will also take your holey, ripped and paint-covered uniform. 

We are working on making donations easier, regular and year-round, but if you have a uniform you would like to donate now, please contact me directly at heatherszaboholeczy@gmail.com.

Heather Szabo Holéczy