Congratulations to the staff of ParaQuad Industries, which was recently accredited under the Charitable Reuse Australia export accreditation scheme.

Australian charities receive 100,000 tonnes of donated garments in wearable condition every year that local consumers won’t buy, even when they are discounted to $1 each. Accordingly, these garments are exported overseas to be reused in various form by consumers in other countries. The reuse export trade creates millions of jobs in wholesale, retail and repair; mainly for women; aiding poverty reduction and gender equality.

Charitable Reuse Australia is the collective network of charitable purpose-driven reuse enterprises. Their Clothing Reuse Export Accreditation Scheme provides confidence to government, stakeholders, and consumers that the clothes being donated to charities are being managed in a responsible way. This means that where donated clothes are being exported or provided to a third party, that it is done in an environmentally and socially appropriate manner, and that there are objective checks and balances to show that.