Introduction
With advanced technical innovations, mankind is moving towards more and more progress. Unfortunately, the fruits of progress are yet to reach a large population across the globe. While we revel in multiple pairs of shoes and clothes, the provision of basic footwear is still a distant dream for many. But your used shoes and old clothes can become instrumental in transforming their lives.
Many charities and aid organizations are facilitating the provision of shoes for the underprivileged by reconditioning used shoes. You can directly become part of this act of charity by carefully donating your used shoes to such organizations. Let us explore more about the process of donation and reconditioning of used shoes. This will help you in better utilization of your resources.
Donating Used Shoes – The Twin Benefits
Sustainability is a key factor that drives modern businesses. It helps in the optimal utilization of resources and saves money. On the other hand, it is a major step towards protecting our environment by reducing waste accumulation. It is a well-known fact that used shoes often take a long time to decompose once thrown away. The majority of such discarded material ends up in landfills causing pollution and environmental degradation.
Reduce, reuse, and recycle are the pillars of traditional sustainability practices. But now, it is evolving to an aspect of the circular economy. In the circular economy, at every stage, care is taken to maximize a raw material or product’s usability. It considers the entire life cycle of a product, and the consumer can play an important role in recycling the same. Most people never use their shoes till the end of its life. In such cases, donating used shoes can help organizations even upcycle the product to make something better. Your donations can create a new lease of life for your used shoes. It will surely benefit someone waiting for the first-ever pair of shoes in their life. But people often ask, how can I donate my shoes? Are there enough organizations in my neighborhood that collect used shoes?
How can you donate your used shoes?
Shoes have become more of a fashion statement than an actual comfort accessory. You will have separate shoe pairs for walking, running, workplace, party, etc. There comes a time when you would want to get a new pair of shoes for yourself. It may be due to damage, or a new shoe model provides better comfort. As a common practice, people stop using their old shoes and throw them away after keeping them idle for years. But remember, your used shoe can become a prized possession for an underprivileged person. Many a time’s people throw away their used shoes because they don’t know about the option of donating them. Yes, there are many ways in which you can donate your used shoes at your locality itself. They are:
- Reuse-a –Shoe Program: This is a major program that help people to donate their used shoes. Collection boxes are kept at designated places, and you can find the nearest collection through their website. The collected shoes are recycled to make materials that are useful for playground surfaces.
- Local Charity Drives: Many national and international charity institutions organize charity drives in schools and churches. It is an apt place for submitting your used shoes and clothes. The charities then distribute these materials to underprivileged people.
- School Fundraising Events: Schools are the best place for mobilizing environmentally conscious initiatives. Samiyatex, a pioneer in recycling used shoes and clothes, conduct fundraising events in schools. You also get paid for donating your used objects. Through the Angel Bins initiative, it operates a network for collecting used shoes from various locations. You can collect the used items from your school, friends, and neighborhood. The initiative offers a free collection from your doorstep.
What happens to the shoes you donate?
You may be wondering about the process through which your used shoe reaches a needy person in Africa or Latin America. It is indeed a very well-organized process that reconditions your used shoes for a new user. It goes through several steps that ensure the quality of the final product. The steps are given below,
Grading: The used shoes from donation drives go through scrutiny for determining their grade based on the quality. Usually, Grade A denotes shoes that have very little damage, and Grade B have minor defects. It is also segregated based on their segment, such as boots, sports shoes, canvas shoes, etc.
Cleaning/Repair: The shoes undergoes a thorough cleaning process before they are ready for packing. In the case of Grade B shoes, minor repair and knitting works are carried out for quality purposes.
Export: The Company exports these reconditioned shoes to various countries in partnership with local bulk buyers and charity organizations.
Micro-Entrepreneurs: The local partners and charities usually work with small entrepreneurs to resell these items. This creates a lot of employment opportunities for people. On the other hand, customers can get good quality shoes at a very low price.
Samiyatex- Redefining Sustainability
The entire model of distribution and reconditioning of used shoes is a complex process that combines logistics, technology, partnerships, and export capabilities. Companies with proper expertise and experience only can execute such large business operations. Samiyatex is a major company that deals with grading and exporting used shoes and clothes. Situated in Los Angeles, Samiyatex has more than 47 full-time workforces highly skilled at grading, cleaning, and upscaling used shoes and clothes. After proper reconditioning, these shoes are exported to various countries in Africa and South America through local partners. It has created both social and business impact through the unique business model. Currently, Samiyatex is expanding their business into brokering of mix rags and bulk purchase of store/stock return shoes. For more details log