Saudi charitable associations launch initiatives to help upcycle unwanted items

JEDDAH: Every year, large amounts of clothing and textiles are dumped in landfills, trash cans, or upcycled by charities.

Keeping this in mind and to promote a more sustainable environment, Saudi Arabian charities have launched an initiative to help upcycle these unwanted items.

Kiswa is one such gathering, recycling, and distribution service for used clothes that work with certified charities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to protect the environment and support other charities.

In its attempt to meet Vision 2030 goals on supporting profit and nonprofit sectors, the service also helps to create new income opportunities for charities through partnerships with the public and private sectors.

Kiswa's CEO Salem Derbah said the project helped to reduce the trouble and cost for people and charities when collecting spare clothes. The project also benefits from recyclable but damaged garments.

Kiswa has an entire crew dedicated to collecting, sorting, preparing and delivering clothes to associations.

According to Derbah, Kiswa also encourages the concept of volunteering among Saudi youth, completing 40 distribution initiatives so far,

The project collects surplus clothes from people wishing to dispose of or donate their clothes and textiles through an app.

Donations are then sorted and classified. The well-preserved and new ones are distributed to beneficiaries, while damaged items are recycled for the benefit of the project.

Proceeds go to charities and toward supporting environment-related initiatives.

At Kiswa, excessive amounts of garments and clothes are sorted and taken apart according to material, type, and colour, then converted back into fibre and transformed into a new product with minimal waste, Derbah said

"We have contracted with over 27 certified social development associations from around the Kingdom, including Tarahum Charity Foundation, Al-Oula Women's Charitable Society and more," he told Arab News.