31,800kg of clothes collected, 5570 beneficiaries, 28280 items sold in 65 different markets, and 45 collection bins set up across Lebanon. FabricAID was founded by Omar Itani, in an attempt to efficiently collect, sort and redistribute clothes to disadvantaged communities at microprices ($0.3-$2 per item).

Omar’s initiative won him the 2019 Young Champion of the Earth for West Asia as FabricAID reuses and recycles unwanted clothes, and has distributed & sold more than 60,000 items of clothing to 7,000+ beneficiaries. All clothes are graded, sorted into over 46 categories, cleaned in their warehouse and redistributed to disadvantaged communities. Over 40 collection bins are set up at different locations to facilitate donations and a lot of clothes are also collected from nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions and businesses.

Clothes are sold at:
– FabricAID pop-up markets
– FabricAID permanent shops
– Clothing that is not fit for re-sale is sold in bulk to existing second-hand stores for much lower prices.

I love the idea. By recycling unwanted clothes and selling them at real cheap prices, FabricAID is helping disadvantaged communities and the environment as well.

The Young Champions of the Earth Prize, powered by Covestro, is UN Environment Programme’s leading initiative to engage youth in tackling the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. You can read more about FabricAID [here].