New-U is a charity dedicated to supporting unemployed adults through flexible work placements while promoting sustainable fashion and reducing textile waste. Explore our vision, aims, and core values below – or visit Our Impact page to discover the real-world difference we’re making together.

Our Vision

Unemployed people have the chance to succeed and the wider community has a unique opportunity to contribute towards sustainable fashion

An individual deciding to reuse clothes is not likely to have a significant impact, however, coming together as a community of multiple re-users starts to make a real difference both in reducing waste and changing attitudes. We must change and replace our culture of disposable clothes consumption with a culture of repairing, sharing and re-using. New-U does just that.  People are encouraged to shop pre-loved earning loyalty points as a reward for any clothing they donate. 

Our Aims

1) To offer young people opportunities to activate social entrepreneurship and opportunities for economic growth

2) To support the development of inclusive, community-orientated and value driven regeneration projects

3) To develop innovative and effective opportunities that can help to reduce inequality and improve social mobility amongst young people

4) To promote sustainable work ethics that reduce the environmental impact and the conservation of the natural world

Our Core Values

1. Widening Collaboration

  • By encouraging partnerships between local people, public services and the business community.
  • Involving local people in the development of the organisation and its projects, by offering volunteering and work placement opportunities.
  • Working closely with other services, helping to provide integrated responses for funders and commissioners
  • Working with local business groups to identify areas of interconnectivity, including landlords and Business Improvement Districts.

2. Making A Positive Environmental Impact

  • Working sustainably and being transparent about our impact on people, places and the planet
  • Supporting the business community to connect their CSR and Environmental Management Systems to the needs of local communities
  • Ensuring that the recycling of clothing remains at the core of our work, supported by at least one board member with expertise in environmental impact.
  • Testing all new projects for their impact on the environment and making this information available to stakeholders

3. Focussing on Community and Wellbeing

  • Providing a shared space to support strong and healthy communities
  • Improving people’s physical and mental health by supporting people to create new friendships and to develop their skills
  • Ensuring that opportunities are accessible to people who experience barriers when trying to access mainstream support and jobs
  • Helping communities to be resilient by making sustainable living a more reachable goal.

4. Motivating to Succeed

  • Unlocking potential and providing people with the opportunities to achieve their goals
  • Creating links to schools and FE colleges, increasing access to accredited training including apprenticeships
  • Ensuring that all parts of the organisation have the skills they need to carry out their roles and to progress
  • Conducting regular skills audits and acting on their results.

5. Supporting inclusive growth

  • Using our resources wisely and re-investing in the local economy
  • Playing a full and active role in the future of high streets, providing new services and shared spaces for people to meet and socialise
  • Supporting other SMEs including start-ups by sharing resources e.g training, volunteers and workshop space
  • Publishing annual social accounts showing the contribution made to people, places and the planet
Scroll to Top