Stop. Swap. Save. Brighton & Hove’s big uniform rethink starts now
Smarter Uniforms launches city-wide campaign to cut school clothing waste, reduce back-to-school costs, and make rehoming school uniform and PE kits the smart, stigma-free choice
With back-to-school costs rising and textile waste piling up, families across Brighton & Hove and the environment could be facing a September squeeze. But a new campaign from local not-for-profit Smarter Uniforms is aiming to turn the tide.
Families in the city are expected to spend over £5 million getting their children ready for a new school term – with nearly £1 million of that spent by parents of primary and secondary school starters.
To put that into perspective, if all of the pupils in Brighton and Hove just had a new sweatshirt in September that would be 29,000 new sweatshirts. That is enough to:
- Cover 80% of the Amex Stadium pitch (laid flat)
- Stack up to 1.8 times the height of the Brighton i360 tower (folded)
- Reach almost twice the height of a full-sized Rampion wind turbine (folded)
All for clothing many children will outgrow within months.
Meanwhile, it is estimated that Brighton & Hove throws away around 756 kilos of polyester-rich wearable schoolwear every year – the equivalent weight of more than 266 Brighton beach deckchairs.
Smarter Uniforms believes there’s a better way.
The five-week Stop. Swap. Save. campaign aims to make school uniform rehoming the new norm. Reducing waste, saving families money, and removing the stigma around second-hand.
Funded by the Rampion Community Project Fund, the campaign is drawing attention to the amount of money families are expected to spend on school uniform and the amount of uniforms that are thrown away each year . It is also promoting the use of the Smarter Uniforms online marketplace as an alternative way to buy school uniforms .
Councillor Tim Rowkins, Brighton & Hove’s Cabinet member for Net Zero and Environmental Services, said: “This is exactly the kind of practical, community-led action we need to see more of across Brighton & Hove. Supporting families, cutting waste, and showing that sustainability and affordability can go hand in hand – it’s a no-brainer.”
Anna McDevitt, Service Manager of Smarter Uniforms said: “With over 29,000 children attending schools across Brighton & Hove, if every pupil had a new set of uniform the estimated cost for families this September alone would exceed a whopping £5million”.
“This is an unnecessary financial strain that’s been going on for far too long. With purse strings tighter than ever and environmental pressure growing, we’re now at a point where we need to come together to find better, smarter solutions.
“This isn’t just a crisis for the most vulnerable, it’s an issue for all of us. We’re on a mission for Brighton & Hove families to join a movement to Stop. Swap & Save this Summer. Our online marketplace makes it easier for families to buy and sell second-hand uniform. Selling and buying on the marketplace means together we can ease household budgets and protect our planet.”
Stop. Swap. Save.
- Stop spending unnecessarily and sending wearable uniforms to landfill
- Swap instead of buying new
- Save hundreds of pounds per family, and protect our planet
Choosing rehoming isn’t about making do – it’s about choosing community over consumption, and putting our money where it truly matters.
The campaign also highlights the wider impact of change: less financial pressure on households, fewer clothes in landfill, and a more sustainable city for the next generation.
Brighton & Hove schools, businesses, organisations and families are all invited to join in – by donating, volunteering, partnering, or spreading the word.
Thousands of uniforms. Thousands of families. One smarter way forward.
Let’s make Brighton & Hove the city to lead the way.
Join us for the 5-Week Big Brighton Stop & Swap, and start donating and reusing today.
https://smarteruniforms.org/p/stop-swap-save
Follow on Facebook and Instagram @smarteruniforms
