This year, 469 kilos of items were donated to three institutions: AAPC - Associação de Apoio a Pessoas com Cancro, Associação de Apoio Social de Perafita and Associação Nomeiodonada, to almost 400 people in need. Over the last three years, clothing, footwear and accessories have been collected to help 18 non-profit organizations in the region, which in turn support more than 5,230 people.
In four editions of the Swap Market - the last one in June - MAR Shopping Matosinhos has contributed to the donation of 7.7 tons, which has made it possible to support 18 local non-profit organizations which, in turn, help around 5,230 people. A total of 2,520 donors contributed to these results.
The initiatives contributed not only to the exchange of 16,455 items of clothing between visitors to the events, giving them a second life and preventing them from being wasted, but also to the donation of 4,831 items of clothing, footwear and accessories. In addition, a further 2,825 kilos were collected in initiatives parallel to the Swap Market.
At the Swap Market (#iswap), the public is invited to exchange some of the items they no longer wear for others that interest them. With no money involved, points are awarded for each item of clothing or accessory handed in, which are used to exchange for products on display at the market. All items not exchanged are donated to local social responsibility institutions, identified with the support of the Donated Goods Bank - ENTRAJUDA.
In the last edition, 469 kilos of items were donated to three institutions: AAPC - Associação de Apoio a Pessoas com Cancro, Associação de Apoio Social de Perafita and Associação Nomeiodonada, which respectively support 200, 152 and 40 people in vulnerable situations.
“These environmental and social awareness initiatives promoted by MAR Shopping Matosinhos demonstrate the meeting place's solid commitment to sustainability and the well-being of the local community, in several respects. On the one hand, they are in line with our policy of collaborating with partners who give us guarantees that donations are effectively directed to those in need, and on the other, they position us as an active agent in promoting sustainability and improving the community's quality of life,” explains Sandra Monteiro, general manager of MAR Shopping Matosinhos.
For Marta Vinhas, director of ENTRAJUDA, responsible for sustainability partnerships, “the relationship with MAR Shopping Matosinhos generates high social value and environmental impact by making it possible to reuse clothes instead of sending them for destruction. What's more, it involves the public who come to the shopping center and are thus made aware of a possibility they were often unaware of, finding here a highly effective channel for solidarity. For ENTRAJUDA, this is certainly a partnership that generates value.”
Cátia Santos, President of the General Assembly of Let's Swap, said: “Each clothing and book swap market we hold in partnership with MAR Shopping Matosinhos is a new opportunity to raise awareness in the community about the importance of the circular economy and more conscious consumption. The work we've been doing has helped to raise awareness in the community, which is reflected in an ever-increasing turnout for these initiatives. Aware that there is still a long way to go, donating items seems to be a possible alternative to disposing of them, prolonging their life and giving other people the opportunity to continue making use of them.”
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