Royal Trinity Hospice is celebrating after their charity retail team came home with the Best Carbon Footprint Award at the Drapers Conscious Fashion Awards 2025, after being shortlisted in three categories.
The Drapers Conscious Fashion Awards recognise the industry’s progress in reducing its impact on the environment and improving working conditions for people throughout the supply chain.
Royal Trinity Hospice received the Best Carbon Footprint Initiative Award for its “Seven Steps to Sustainability” project and was also shortlisted alongside established high-street and independent brands for the Recommerce Award, the Best Conscious Store Design Award.
Launched in 2023, the multi-year ‘Seven Steps to Sustainability’ project has resulted in tangible improvements to the hospice’s shops’ carbon footprint, including a fully electrified fleet, the development of a new reusable stock transfer bag, and improved circularity in new shop fits, resulting in a saving of over 65 tonnes of Co2e last year. The Seven Steps to Sustainability initiative was also recognised with an Environmental and Sustainability Award at the 2023 Charity Retail Awards.
Andy Keen, Director of Retail at Royal Trinity Hospice said: “Charity retail is inherently circular as we rely on preloved goods to raise the funds for our good causes, so it would have been easy to rest on our laurels in terms of our sustainability goals. But, I hope this award demonstrates that there is so much that can be done, from shop fits to transport to brand partnerships to contribute to a less wasteful more conscious world, for both commercial and charity retailers.
“Since launching the project, we have measurably improved front and back of house operations to reduce the environmental impact of our shops and I am delighted that this work has been recognised alongside some of the fashion industry’s biggest commercial brands.”
The Drapers Conscious Fashion Awards are one of the fashion industry’s most exciting celebrations of innovation in sustainability. Launched as Drapers Sustainable Fashion Awards in 2020, the evolution of this market-leading programme reflects how far fashion retail has come in embedding sustainability in all aspects of operations and that it is now non-negotiable.
Jill Geoghegan, Drapers Editor, said: “Fashion retailers, brands and suppliers are rising to the immense challenges before them. They are embracing their responsibilities and ability to make a difference, despite challenging trading conditions.
“Drapers Conscious Fashion Awards shine a spotlight on best practice within the industry and Drapers is proud to support and celebrate the positive change happening in fashion retail.”
