The Clothing Bank

The Clothing Bank is a multi-award-winning social enterprise in Thornton that marked ten years of operation by having revived 10 million items of clothing waste, worth an estimated R600 million. Over that period the organisation says it has touched the lives of more than 3,000 previously unemployed mothers and over 200 men.

The enterprise works at the intersection of clothing waste, most of which otherwise heads to landfill, and the challenge faced by single-parent households that rely on state grants to get by. It offers income-generating opportunities through a two-year training programme, giving participants skills and a nurturing environment in which to rebuild their working lives.

It suits donors and supporters who want to back a social enterprise that turns clothing waste into training and income for unemployed parents.