'If Coronavirus doesn't kill my workers, then starvation will.’
Factory Owner Bangladesh
‘I am at a loss for how I can survive through this’
Unemployed Bangladeshi garment worker who can no longer support her husband, children and parents.
As a result of coronavirus, Western retailers have cancelled orders leaving garment workers in Bangladesh without income
Millions of garment workers now face starvation and over US $3bn worth of unwanted new season stock is destined to end up in landfill
Popular fashion initiative, Lost Stock, launches Lost Stock for Kids - clothing boxes to to support starving families in Bangladesh
Lost Stock, the fashion initiative set up in the wake of Covid-19 to save lives in Bangladesh has today launched kidswear boxes - Lost Stock for Kids. For £35, customers receive a personalised selection of cancelled childrenswear stock direct from manufacturers. Each purchase supports a family in Bangladesh for one week and also prevents brand new clothing ending up in landfill.
The cancellation of over $3 billion worth of stock orders by retailers left manufacturers in Bangladesh unable to pay workers and with mountains of unwanted stock. Lost Stock launched last month by the team behind fashion shopping app Mallzee, solves this problem by selling £35 fashion boxes containing five pieces of childrenswear matched to the purchasers size and fashion preferences - each box sold feeds a family of four in Bangladesh for a week through Lost Stock’s partnership with SAJIDA Foundation.
Clothes that were originally destined for high street retailers are shipped direct from manufacturers to consumers in the UK, arriving in the post as a surprise Lost Stock clothing box.
Originally selling only adult sizes the company has sold almost 100,000 Lost Stock boxes in the past five weeks and today, with the launch of Lost Stock for Kids, they hope to be able to support another 100,000 Bangladeshi families in the coming month.
Lost Stock for Kids caters for boys and girls aged between 4-14 years old and includes at least five items that were originally destined for high-street retailers.
To ensure the money goes straight to those who need it most Lost Stock has partnered with Bangladesh NGO SAJIDA Foundation. Each box supports a family of four for a week.
NGO partner, SAJIDA Foundation works in 26 districts of Bangladesh with a mission of ‘health, happiness and dignity for all’. Following the Covid-19 outbreak, a team of 3,700 are providing essential food and hygiene supplies, supplying essential PPE kits, and have installed 475 portable hand washing devices throughout the country.
Mallzee CEO and Founder of Lost Stock, Cally Russell, said: “Launching Lost Stock for Kids is an exciting next step for us. The response since we launched Lost Stock has been truly amazing - we hoped to sell 50,000 boxes by the end of 2020 and sold nearly double that in the first month alone. We know that the Covid-19 crisis is deepening amongst garment worker communities in Bangladesh and we hope that by launching Lost Stock for kids we can help many more families and avoid both a humanitarian crisis and an environmental one. Lost Stock allows consumers to get a great deal whilst at the same time helping a family survive this awful tragedy.”
Muhymin Chowdhury, the Head of Challenge Fund & Fundraising for SAJIDA, said, “Cancelled orders have affected over 1000 factories and the lives of 2.27 million workers and their families. A recent study found that 47% of these workers now have no income - we are working to deliver them basic necessities”
“We are very pleased to partner with Lost Stock whose approach helps redress the unfortunate failures of global brands to practise responsible sourcing. Every Lost Stock box sold will provide a food and hygiene package to support a family for a week.
“Additionally, Lost Stock purchases garment products at a fair price from Bangladeshi factories helping support them longer term.”
Lost Stock is set up on the Shopify sales platform, and the Royal Mail Group is the logistics partner, therefore, transactions and delivery are safe and reliable. They’re supported by partners including the accountancy firm RSM and the leading Scottish law firm Brodies.
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