ApparelXchange
1741. Izzie Eriksen
Izzie Eriksen, based in Glasgow, founded ‘ApparelXchange’ which has repurposed over 6,500 items of clothing, saving the carbon equivalent of taking 10 cars off the road for a year while simultaneously helping low income families with free clothes and uniform.
Izzie set up the social enterprise after realising how children’s clothing can have a huge environmental impact, due to children frequently needing new clothes and old items being sent to landfill. ‘ApparelXchange’ helps to reduce this impact by providing sustainable clothing services, and is able to support families in need by organising a discreet self-referral system, in partnership with public, private and third sector organisations, where a parent, carer or family representative can email a clothing request to Izzie and her team, and receive low cost or free uniform and clothing package. Izzie also runs classroom sessions to improve carbon literacy and she also hosts workshops on how to repair clothing.
In response to receiving the award, Izzie said:
“It is great to receive this recognition for myself and ApparelXchange, especially for our commitment to tackling social and environmental issues. We have worked hard to create sustainable clothing services, which contribute towards reducing our impact on our planet and in doing so, ensuring every person we work with has ownership of the change we need to slow down our climate crisis. This award is a great testament to the power of grass roots organisations and our role to transition our economy towards Net Zero.”