FabricAID: Collecting and Re-distributing Used Clothes in Lebanon

Lebanon lacks sustainable organisations that specialise in the collection and re-distribution of second-hand clothing and as a result, most of the used clothes that are donated to the less privileged families are not meeting the clothing needs of those families. 

However, there are a few NGOs and some scattered civil campaign organisations that collect meagre amounts of donated used clothes but lack the capacity to redistribute the collected used clothes effectively.

FabricAID was founded in 2017 to address the challenges of the ineffective collection and re-distribution of used clothes in Lebanon. As a social enterprise, FabricAID is working towards establishing a socially and environmentally conscious value chain for the apparel industry by optimising the collection, sorting, upcycling, and resale of second-hand clothes through socially conscious and sustainable brands.

FabricAID collects used clothes, shoes and other fashion accessories using a network of more than 150 clothing collection bins distributed across the country. The collected clothing is then sorted and re-distributed by selling them in retail outlets at reduced prices in the marginalised communities in Lebanon.

One of the social impacts that FabricAID has achieved is that it is providing a dignified shopping experience to marginalised communities in Lebanon through its three main activities: collection, sorting, and re-distribution. Furthermore, FabricAID has collected over 700,000 items and sold over 400,000 items since its inauguration.