St Margaret’s Hospice Care’s shops have launched Sustainable September to encourage people from Somerset to take part in raising awareness of the benefits of second-hand shopping and upcycling.

September has become synonymous with sustainability with The Great British Beach Clean and Second-Hand September becoming regular fixtures in the green calendar focused on responding to the threat of climate change.

There are 31 St Margaret’s Hospice shops in Somerset.

According to The Institute of Positive Fashion, the fashion and textile industry is the joint third highest emitter of greenhouse gases globally, accounting for around five per cent of global emissions.

The first six months of 2023 saw hospice’s shops offset 571,255kg of used items from going into landfill, which equates to over an incredible seven million kilograms of CO2 from the atmosphere.

The figure comes from not only selling items, but also ensuring the items which can’t be sold, go through a RAG system, and is sent off to be sorted, re-used, and recycled.

By taking part this supports the valuable care St Margaret’s provides to around 5,000 people across Somerset every year.

Every purchase made helps St Margaret’s staff provide quality compassionate end-of-life care to patients with a life-limiting illness and their families when they need it most.

To get involved you can donate clothes, only shop second-hand for the month, share pictures of your pre-loved clothing bargains on social media and tag St Margaret’s Hospice Care on social media, using the hashtag #SustainableSeptember.