What is the circular economy?The circular economy looks to move us away from a take-make-waste, linear model and reduce the resources we use, while focusing on society-wide benefits. The circular model aims to keep products in use for as long as possible. To learn more about the circular economy we recommend visiting the Ellen MacArthur Foundation website. The benefits of a circular economy are obvious when we look at how it reduces waste, raw material and energy usage, and environmental impact. But there are further benefits to going circular that are felt in communities far and wide. Charities are a huge, important part of the Globechain reuse marketplace because the circular economy isn’t just about reducing waste, it’s also about making an impact in areas of need. |
How charities benefit from the circular economy and the Globechain marketplaceThere are so many benefits to the circular economy for charities. From saving money, to making a bigger social and environmental impact, the benefits include:
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The kinds of charities that receive itemsAt Globechain, it’s our pleasure to match high quality, used items with deserving people and charities. The charities within our network include, but are definitely not limited to, causes like:
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The types of items that are most often available to charities for free are:
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Kitchens for KidsB&Q and The Children’s TrustThe Children’s Trust is a charity that benefitted from B&Q items. They provide expert rehabilitation, education, therapy and care at their specialist centre in Tadworth, supporting children and families from across the UK. They also offer services in communities around the country and online support for parents. They use B&Qs wellies and torches as well as solar lamps (all very much in high demand as they live on 24 acres of muddy land!) on the night of the twilight walk. The rest of the items (1029.5 kilos) were distributed to the houses on the land where they provide homes, food and care to the families of children with brain injuries. This benefitted 24 children directly on the site and indirectly over 100 during the twilight walk. They raised £7,000 from the walk wearing B&Q items. |
Community CafeNandos and Community & Business Partners CICCommunity & Business Partners CIC runs several charities and programs, from a community cafe to a reuse centre. They collected 70 chairs that had been listed by Nando’s, repainted them and used them in their community cafe. They also used some chairs in an upcycling course for community members. |
School ExchangeExpedia and Computers4AfricaVia the Globechain platform, Expedia has given away a total of 100 PC monitors and made a saving of approximately £1,000 by offering them to the charity Computers4Africa rather than paying to return them to Dell. Computers4Africa was delighted to be able to collect the 100 unneeded computer monitors from Expedia; these were paired up with base units and shipped to schools and community projects across Africa. More than 120,000 children have been able to use computers for the first time due to these and similar donations. |