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Royal Accolade for Old Clothes Entrepreneurs

Royal accolade for old clothes entrepreneurs

A family firm that turns last year’s fashions into cash for charity has won one of the UK’s most prestigious business awards, the Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2008.

The National Blind Children’s Society is a main beneficiary of I & G Cohen’s money-spinning formula of salvaging discarded clothes and selling them on.

Managing director Elliot Cohen said: ‘I am thrilled that a business started nearly 50 years ago by my grandfather and father has achieved such public recognition.’

The business works by picking up bags of old clothes from householders, schools and collection points through a nationwide distribution network. A substantial percentage of the sell-on proceeds is then passed to their charity partners .

National Blind Children’s Society chief executive Carolyn Fullard said: ‘This much-deserved award to I & G Cohen reflects how enterprising recycling can be made to work on so many levels – the environment, business and charity all benefit.

‘I & G Cohen are huge supporters of the National Blind Children’s Society and we are very proud to be associated with their success.’

For more information on I & G Cohen’s textile recycling scheme, click here