In Kind Direct says £1.37 billion of surplus products wasted each year
Howard Lake | 18 June 2007 | News
New research by In Kind Direct has found that £1.37 billion of surplus and obsolete consumer goods are going to waste every year when a proportion could be donated to needy causes. The in-kind giving charity has called on businesses to give their surplus stock to UK charities.
The charity commissioned the report to show the potential for the growth of ‘in-kind giving’. The report identified that each year the consumer goods sector alone produces enough surplus and off-spec products to fill the equivalent of 80 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Instead of being redistributed to those in need, much of it ends up in landfill and external recycling.
In Kind Direct is 10 years old this year, and is one of ‘The Prince’s Charities’, a group of not-for-profit organisations of which The Prince of Wales is President. So far it has distributed £60 million worth of products from 700 companies to 4,000 UK charities working at home and abroad.
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However, it believes far more could be done. It argues that a further £80 million worth of in-kind giving is possible each year. To help businesses realise what they could do, it has identified the products UK-based charities need most, namely household cleaning products, basic toiletries, toilet paper, office supplies, cookware, tools, toys, linen and clothing.
Charity CEO, Robin Boles explained: “Every day in the UK, charities struggle to raise sufficient funds to purchase essential items. At the same time, manufacturers and retailers will send these very same items to landfill, denying charities the chance to use these goods and make a real difference to people in need.
“We save businesses time and money by redistributing the surplus and obsolete stock, which can tie up valuable warehouse space and management time, as we have the infrastructure in place to quickly accept donations and track everything through to the thousands of charities that benefit.”
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.