FabricAID

FabricAID provides affordable clothing to marginalised communities, contributes innovative solutions to Lebanon’s landfill crisis and creates much-needed jobs for refugees.

  

    

The Challenge

Low-income and refugee communities in Lebanon lack access to high-quality, affordable clothing. Rather than being recycled, most second-hand clothing ends up with NGOs not specialised to distribute them.  Lebanon has been importing second-hand clothing from abroad due to this market inefficiency.

  

The Organisation

Established in 2016, FabricAID simultaneously seeks to tackle Lebanon’s landfill crisis, create jobs for refugees and to provide high-quality second-hand clothing to low-income communities. By collecting second-hand clothes from NGOs, sorting, repairing and selling these clothes at pop-up shops in underprivileged and refugee communities, FabricAID is making affordable clothing widely available.  FabricAID’s sorting facility is fully staffed by refugees, adding an additional layer of social impact to its innovative model.

What has Been Achieved with Alfanar’s Support

Alfanar’s pilot investment is focused on improving operational efficiency.  Our funding will enable the purchase of a pick-up truck to increase the volume of clothes collected, an industrial washing machine, a baling machine and a shredder, allowing FabricAid to sort more clothes for sale at their pop-up shops.  Alfanar’s investment will support FabricAID improve its revenue by increasing its points of sale across Lebanon.

Looking Ahead

FabricAid is testing the possibility of re-using damaged or unsaleable pieces as shredded stuffing for upholstery and furniture, thus minimising potential waste and creating another source of revenue.