Kids benefit from Auckland business combatting textile waste

A new Auckland business is tackling excessive textile waste by recycling 100 per cent of donated clothing - and gifting most to children in need.

The social enterprise based in West Auckland’s Titirangi focuses on helping Kiwi children in need of clothing while also reducing the textile waste that ends up in the landfill every year.

Ripple Movement's system ensures that no materials are wasted, said owner Michelle Jennings.

“At Ripple, we can take both the good and the bad stuff. Anything that can’t be reused is recycled or repurposed so there’s no waste,” she said.

“All the clothing we receive goes into our system, which is either reused, repaired, repurposed, or recycled. There is absolutely no waste once clothing enters our system.”

Jennings says she works with Oranga Tamariki to distribute ‘gear boxes’ to families who are material deprived.

“The goal of each gear box is to provide all the essentials a child needs for a year at a time,” she says.

“We [pass them] on to Oranga Tamariki. They have a huge need – their social workers are coming across situations daily where Ripple can help fill the need,” Jennings said.

Jennings says she hopes to help lower the level of carbon emissions from textile waste going to landfills.

“At the moment, textiles going into landfill [make up] about 10 per cent of global carbon emissions, and that’s huge! Yet it’s something that is not really spoken about,” she said.

Ripple Movement is planning to run a number of gear drives, in partnership with different schools and corporations, over the coming months.

For more information on Ripple Movement, visit https://www.ripplemovement.co.nz