INTI's Second Chance Clothes practices circular sustainability

INTI University embarked on a clothing donation drive that helps the needy while promoting sustainable consumption and production practices.

The Second Chance Clothes event from 8 to 15 May built a bridge between the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and real social service.

It was organized by the Centre of the Australian Degree Program Club (CADP Club) in cooperation with the Leo Club. The project actively engaged students, and staff, encouraging them to donate clothing while emphasizing the importance of efficient management and reuse of these contributions. It aimed to provide essential clothing assistance to economically disadvantaged individuals, meeting their basic needs.

Donated clothing received

Celine Lim Jia Shyuen, 2nd Vice President of Leo Club said: "We found that some of the planned ideas were consistent with the SDGs, so we made further improvements and encouraged our students to give back to the community incorporating SDGs."

Four of the SDGs offer crucial frameworks for effectively addressing clothing waste and promoting sustainability. These goals include Poverty, Good Health and Well-being, Responsible Consumption and Production, and Climate Action.

When it comes to responsible consumption and production playing a vital role in tackling clothing waste, Celine added: "It is important to adopt circular economy principles in the apparel industry. Although fast fashion has become the current trend, overconsumption and waste should be considered. Therefore, I decided to promote recycling and resale."

To contribute towards the attainment of the Poverty and Good Health and Well-being SDGs, the donated items collected during the event will be resold on campus. The proceeds generated from these sales will be utilized to secure funding for the Women's Centre for Change charity.

Ooi Kah May, president of the CADP Club, said: "The partnership with the Women's Centre for Change builds on their expertise in collecting and reselling second-hand clothing through their thrift store.”

In fact, the high sales can be attributed to the fact that donations are limited to items that are in good condition and the price of the secondhand items is strictly limited to RM15.

Booths at the event site

Ooi said: "The donations received during the event can be considered satisfactory. Although the event had to be shortened to one week due to the water shortage in Penang, we still received donations from different individuals."

Beyond the collaboration itself, one of the goals of the Club is to connect and build stronger networks within the community.