An estimated 336,000 tonnes of used clothing gets thrown in the bin every year in the UK. What does that actually look like? Around 336,000 adult male polar bears in weight. That’s A LOT of clothes. Part of a circular economy is to keep something in that useful loop, in the stage of being functional, for as long as possible, so for fashion, fast is out and slow, multiple use is very much in.
But clothes are a great example of something that literally wears out. Things get snagged, torn, threadbare, stained – or even don’t fit us so well anymore. This is the point that even well-worn clothing can be destined for the bin, but often, things can be given an even longer life. The can be repaired.
Some of us may remember having sewing and mending lessons at school, or have a relative that not only has access to a sewing machine, but also knows how to use it. Many of us however, don’t have that base skill, or to be frank – have no desire to learn (even though repairing something is extraordinarily rewarding). So what can you do? How can you keep your clothes in the loop? Enter UK based app, Sojo.
‘Sojo is on a mission to help you in your quest for a more sustainable wardrobe. We connect customers to local seamster businesses through our app and bicycle delivery service so that people can get their clothes altered or repaired with a few simple clicks.’
Often called ‘the Deliveroo for clothing repair’, Sojo is looking to connect you, with the worn out item with someone hyperlocal that can repair or amend your item. Why is this so important. Well, as we stated above, keeping the clothes on our back and out of incineration is key, but the other important thing about Sojo is the hyperlocal element – a real circular economy feature of working. There are many brands that can repair your clothes of course, but shipping them off to a far off location not only takes time (and money) it takes carbon. For some specialist items this may indeed be the best choice, but for many repairs, someone very local to you could probably complete that fix quicker (a turnaround of about 5 days), possibly cheaper (once you factor in postage of other repair services) and most importantly – transportation is limited.
Sojo even go one step further and transport your items by bike courier.
We are listing Sojo as a One to Watch – their pilot launched to cover zones 1 and 2 of London in January 2021, but are aiming for a quick expansion once lockdown is lifted. First on the expansion list? Bristol and… Brighton – where One Circular World is based, so you bet we’ll be digging about in the wardrobes to put this awesome new service to the test.
Want to get Sojo? Grab the app here.
One Circular World 