Register your interest now
Sustainable UCL
The UCL Sustainability Team drives forward the university's key sustainability aims. We work with the UCL community to embed sustainability into research, buildings and behaviours at UCL, and beyond. Our work improves sustainability literacy, increases efficiency, saves money and helps create more pleasant spaces to work and study.
Description

Join us as a Clothes Swap volunteer to help us deliver events to promote circular and sustainable fashion at UCL.


We all love fashion, but it can have a huge impact on the environment and the people who make our clothes. We will be running Clothes Swaps in collaboration with the University of London throughout the year!

Clothes Swaps will be held throughout the academic year. 4 of them will be held at UCL, with an additional 2 being hosted by the University of London at Senate House. 

All of these events are open to staff and students from any University of London institution, in addition to UCL.

Did you know?

  • The UK bins 235 million items of clothing each spring.
  • The production of clothes involves a series of energy-intensive processes, including raw material extraction, spinning, weaving, dyeing, printing, and transportation. Swapping clothes is therefore an excellent way to be more sustainable – as production of clothing has an enormous carbon footprint. Buying clothes second-hand reduces its impact by an average of 70%.*
  • Textile manufacturing uses huge amounts of water, much of which gets flushed into waterways laden with contaminants such as bleaches, acids, inks and dyes. Farmers in parts of China and India are reportedly predicting fashion’s next biggest hues by the colour of rivers tainted by textile industry runoff.
  • Workers in developing nations are often paid a pittance to work in unsafe conditions.

Save money and the environment by swapping your clothes at our swap shops!

*Source: read here

How you can help

These events are delivered by staff from the University of London and UCL sustainability teams, with help from student volunteers. Volunteering involves helping deliver the event on the day by greeting attendees, explaining the event, and helping to keep the stock neat and tidy. You don't need to commit to all events - you can sign up on a event-by-event basis.

If you are looking for an easy, low-commitment sustainability volunteering opportunity, please join us and help deliver Clothes Swaps at UCL. All you need to do is email [email protected] and express your interest in volunteering for the Clothes Swaps, or click 'Register your interest' on this page, and a member of organising staff will be in touch.

Duties

To assist both the University of London and UCL Sustainability teams on running the Swap Shop.  This will involve welcoming attendees and keeping the area tidy.

Who will the volunteers be working with?
Members of the University of London Sustainability team and Sustainable UCL team.
Training
On the day training will be offered. Volunteers will be informed on the aims and objectives of the Swap Shop and be provided with an understanding of reducing and reusing and circular fashion. Volunteers will also be briefed on how the Swap Shop is managed.

Time commitment

Clothes Swaps are being held throughout the academic year. For more information, see the Sustainable UCL event page here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/sustainable/events/2025/oct/ucl-clothes-swap

2025/26 DATES:
• Friday 10th October - Phineas Bar
• Friday 14th November - UCL Student Centre
• Wednesday 3rd December - UCL Student Centre
• Friday 6th February - University of London, Senate House
• Wednesday 11th March - UCL Student Centre
• Friday 8th May - University of London, Senate House

This organisation is one of our community partner organisations.

Like all volunteer recruiters we work with, they have signed up to our service standards, agreeing to abide by our policy on partnership working to keep you safe and supported whilst you volunteer.

You’ll never be out of pocket for volunteering through us – with in-London travel expenses to and from your volunteering guaranteed.

In addition, the team here at Students’ Union UCL Volunteering Service is here to support you throughout your volunteering journey – you can get in touch with us at any time.