What do you think happens to the surplus stock which comes from the manufacturers of shampoo, shower gel, and other essential items? If I’m honest it was something I’d never really questioned until yesterday when I went to learn about In Kind Direct and how they work with manufacturers and charities.
Firstly surplus stock are those products that have been made and bottled, but for various reasons including near end of shelf life, packaging changes and overproduction are not going to sell. This surplus stock is often stored in warehouses and then destroyed – what a waste! Over 20 years ago HRH Prince Charles raised this issue and founded In Kind Direct. They distribute new, usable consumer goods, donated by some of the UK’s best known manufacturers and retailers, to charities, not-for-profit organisations and social enterprises working in the UK and abroad.
Therefore I went to learn more about how In Kind works and it has really impacted on me. Firstly we listened to those who work at In Kind, they explained how they contact manufacturers and encourage them to donate their surplus stock which is then transported to the In Kind warehouse. We are talking pallet loads rather than a box of donations. These products are then sold on (for a small fee – think 20p a bottle of shampoo) to registered charities who then can give the products to their service users. Typically this includes women’s refuges, homeless shelters and other support centers. The small charge is to stop people over ordering and means that the charities still need to budget for the items they require.
We heard how creative the charities have been, one example is that homeless service users are often hard to reach and gain their trust but by one addiction center giving dog food out to homeless people it encouraged the service users to keep coming back. In time this built the trust and then they were able to reach out and provide more support. This demonstrates that all types of surplus stock can be utilised!
Next, we heard from the project manager at a homeless shelter and Michael explained how important In Kind has been in managing their budgets but also for helping them engage with service users. This is real stuff having a real impact and all from surplus stock!
I couldn’t believe I had never thought about this before. But after hearing the stories I know I want to do more.
As a teacher, I know just how real poverty is, I have seen it myself in my classrooms and in the corridors. In Kind knows that long before families turn to food banks they have already started cutting out hygiene product buying. They will skip the shower gel or toothpaste and yet we know that children going without these are ones picked on at school. Not having these products damage self-worth and self-esteem and yet these products can lie dormant in a warehouse due to over production.
I have committed to becoming an ambassador for In Kind and this means me talking about them. As consumers we have power and can encourage and demand change. We live a society where surplus stock exists and we need to put pressure on companies to look at product giving. It is socially responsible plus of course it impacts on landfill and our environment. We can help In Kind by promoting them and letting others know of the work they do. We can choose to buy from manufacturers who product gift and we can support them by telling others about the charity.
A small voice can have an impact and I am lending my voice to this empowering initiative and you can too. Ask companies what they do with their surplus stock. Talk about In Kind Direct so that others learn about product giving. We can make a difference.
Disclosure – My train fare was paid for me to attend the briefing but I have not been paid to write about this I just want to!
