Brighton families could save millions on uniforms this September with new pre-loved platform
Life is expensive right now. Back-to-school costs are expected to hit over £5 million in Brighton & Hove this September, with nearly £1 million spent on full kits for Reception and Year 7 new-starters alone. Many families face a squeeze, and much of the uniform bought will only be worn for a few months.
Meanwhile, the city is discarding around 756 kilos of polyester-rich school wear each year – roughly the weight of 266 Brighton deckchairs.
A new campaign from local not-for-profit Smarter Uniforms is aiming to change that. Their five-week ‘Stop. Swap. Save.’ initiative encourages families to buy and sell pre-loved uniforms through their online marketplace, reducing waste and easing household budgets.
According to Anna McDevitt, service manager at Smarter Uniforms, if every pupil bought a new sweatshirt this September, the combined stack would cover a whopping eighty percent of the Amex Stadium pitch and rise nearly twice the height of the i360. In other words, that’s a lot of uniforms.
“Uniform costs are putting unnecessary strain on families,” McDevitt said, adding that the current system isn’t sustainable – for wallets or the planet.
It’s easy to get involved with the project and start rehoming uniforms ahead of the new term, too. Families can buy or sell pre-loved school uniforms on the online marketplace, schools can help by collecting donations from pupils and everyone can spread the word, helping the city to reduce waste and save money.
