Locals will have the chance to shop with a clear conscience next month, as an Australian-first innovative pop-up charity shop concept launches at Westfield Fountain Gate.
Six of Australia’s leading charity retailers are collaborating under Charitable Recycling Australia to launch Charity Shop?, which will trade for five weeks from 1 May.
Designed for socially and environmentally conscious Millennials and Gen Z, the shop has an environmental target to save 47,000 tonnes of Carbon Emissions through the reuse of clothing during the five weeks.
It will be stocked with 4100 items of pre-loved fashion from Salvos, Vinnies, Red Cross, Uniting, Brotherhood of St Laurence, Uniting and Save the Children, plus brand new pre-consumer clothing from ThreeByOne denim and Jaggad high performance activewear.
The net proceeds of the shop’s trading will go towards the charitable reuse sector’s environmental and social causes, contributing to both climate change impact and the transition to the Circular Economy.
Charitable Recycling Australia chief executive Omer Soker said he hopes the initiative will “reinforce how environmentally important charity shops are”.
“With Millennial and Gen Z embracing sustainability, and charity shops innovating to evolve their models with higher quality merchandising and in-store experiences, we wanted to see what could be achieved if we reached more new, mainstream shoppers who hadn’t visited a charity shop recently – and what better place to do that, than a Westfield shopping centre,” Mr Soker said.
“All of our members are super keen on collaborating, and we know that when different op shops are located close together, they become a destination – but nobody in Australia had ever brought six major charity shop retailers together in one place.”
Charitable Recycling Australia members also raise funds through their charity shops for disadvantaged communities, including food and shelter for those in need, crisis support, mental health and a wide range of disability and illness support.
The initiative has been executed on a largely volunteer basis, with re-Up donating upcycled bags, Shop for Shops is fitting out the shop for free and community members volunteering their time in-store.
“The project wouldn’t have been possible without our corporate partners – Kepler providing shopper analytics, re-UP providing bags and Shop for Shops fitting out the shop beautifully,” Mr Soker said.
The pop up shop will be located at Shop 1020, Westfield Fountain Gate, next to Big W and between Supre and Skechers.
