ANNUAL REPORT 2018 U-LANDSHJÄLP FRÅN FOLK TILL FOLK I FINLAND SR
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Forewords
4
Support for global development
18
From an association to a foundation
6
Farmer training
18
UFF in numbers in 2018 7
Educational projects
20
Child Aid
22
Community development
24
Vision, Mission, Values
7
Policy approach
8
Organisation
9
Communications
25
Support for common benefit purposes
Fundraising
25
and fundraising expenses
10
Corporate responsibility
27
Fundraising sources
11
Environmental responsibility
27
Environmental services
12
Social responsibility
28
The recycling of clothes
12
Economic responsibility
30
The sorting and the reuse of clothes 13
Donating
31
Environmental services in numbers 13
Global network
31
Global development
15
Education
15
Environmentally sustainable development
15
Economic development
15
Global development project support in 2018
2
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Contact information
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TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
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FOREWORD The year 2018 marked the beginning of the fourth decade of UFF’s operations. The bold vision by 1980s youngsters on practical work combining climate work and global sustainable development led to a volunteer start-up; material surplus from the north began to transform into capital for social development in the south. Primary schools, educational institutions, vocational schools and other development collaboration projects focusing on sharing and developing expertise and knowledge were established, supported and maintained in developing countries. The idea of Nordic equality and the importance of education continues to be the underlying theme of UFF’s global development work even now, decades later. UFF has relied on the support and collaboration of Finns for decades, and the more than 180 million kg of clothes donated to UFF have not only facilitated the provision of a recycling service in Finland, but also the graduation of almost twenty thousand primary school teachers in developing countries and the engagement of hundreds of thousands of people in farmer and other agricultural development projects. The collaboration carried out for the sake of education and livelihood has provided the most deprived in developing communities and entire societies with positive opportunities. In Finland, clothes donated for reuse via UFF transform Earth in a more sustainable direction in a concrete way; not only from the point of view of material efficiency, but by increasing the possibilities of the most deprived to human development and an active and constructive role in their communities. UFF supports global development in regions where the majority of people live in extreme poverty. Similarly to previous year, the focus was on education in 2018, in particular training farmers in food security and securing a livelihood. Other supported education projects included teacher training, vocational training, pedagogic development projects, community development and primary education. Geographically, the majority of the projects were in southern Africa: Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Namibia. In addition, projects were supported in DR Congo and India. Sustainable development takes time, and therefore UFF operates under the principle of continuous improvement, using an ISO-compliant quality, environmental and occupational safety management system. The purpose of enterprise resource planning is to support both continuous improvement and the development of best practices to realise the organisation’s missions.
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The development of operations continued in all areas of operations in 2018. Environmental service partnerships further strengthened the realisation of the organisation’s environmental objectives; the share of using waste-based fuels, already adopted earlier, was increased; enhancing the energy efficiency of clothes sorting centres was continued and a high reuse rate was achieved for the collected clothes. In global development collaboration, measures aiming to harmonise project control and development of impact assessment and documentation were continued further. Over the years, the service activities of UFF, originally based on volunteer work and later functioning as an association, have become part of the day-to-day lives of many people and communities. It was time to build even stronger prerequisites for implementing the missions of climate and global development, and therefore UFF launched an investigation and preparation to continue the association’s activities as a foundation. The preparations progressed in 2018, and at the time of the publication of this annual report in 2019, UFF already operates as a foundation. This annual report describes the work of UFF in 2018, when it was still operating as an association. The contact information page provides up-to-date contact details of UFF operating as a foundation. As the proverb says, to go fast, go alone; to go far, go together. Combining experience and expertise with youth and energy can achieve great positive changes and concrete impact. This is possible even with regard to a major common challenge, our climate. This is proven by the global positive impact of people acting together via UFF! I wish to extend my warmest thanks to all donors, supporters, volunteers, staff and all those who have helped our events succeed. Virve Groning Managing director UFF Child Aid Donations to bank account Nordea FI 49 2001 1800 3905 39
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FROM AN ASSOCIATION TO A FOUNDATION UFF is a Finnish independent non-profit organisation that has been operating since 1987. UFF’s climate and global development work has continued for more than three decades, and it will continue as of 2019 as a foundation instead of the previous associationbased structure. The organisation works to achieve sustainable development through climate and global development work, reducing environmental stress and extreme poverty in the world. In addition to domestic environmental services, the foundation uses the proceeds from fundraising to support education, sustainable environmental development and the improvement of economic livelihood in Africa and India. Households and companies can recycle their unnecessary clothes, shoes and textiles through UFF recycling services. The extension of the life cycle of textiles in their original use decreases the consumption of natural resources and mitigates climate change. The environmental effects of climate change affect the all of us, and in particular, the people in the poorest countries. In addition to its work on climate and global development, UFF disseminates information about global development, clothes collection in Finland and climate work, thereby bringing issues of the developing countries into the everyday lives of Finns.
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VISION, MISSION AND VALUES VISION
UFF IN NUMBERS IN 2018 • Support for non-profit purposes 9,9 M € • Investments in climate work 7,7 M € • Finns living in the clothes collection area 5,4 M • Clothes collection 14,5 M kilos • Support for global development 2 milj. € • Direct beneficiaries of global development projects 40 000 • Personnel 268 • Fundrainsing shops 17
The world is sustainable and fair socially, ecologically and economically. Everyone has the possibility to work toward sustainability in a positive, active and responsible manner.
MISSION UFF works toward sustainable development through its environmental services and fundraising as well as through the partnerships it forms in order to join in the work in global development programmes implemented in the poorest communities in the world.
VALUES Fairness
Implementing local and global responsibility; creating social assets and sustainability on individual, community and global context.
Development of best practices
Implementing the principle of incremental development and searching solutions that are effective and promote sustainability.
Focus on users and end beneficiaries
Emphasising the common good, creating spirals of good for global development and wellbeing.
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POLICY APPROACH UFF adds sustainable social value, bringing about environmental and human wellbeing and accountable participation. To support this goal, the organisation has a certified enterprise resource planning system that complies with ISO 9001:2015 Quality management systems, OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series and ISO 14001:2015 Environmental management systems. The enterprise resource planning system produces a sustainable, even an increasing input toward the non-profit activities of the association as it works for the good of the climate and global development. The key goals include reaching the set goals in terms of production and economy, zero accidents with regard to occupational safety and optimum resourcing for products collected and energy used. UFF is committed to the protection of the environment, the sustainable use of resources and the continuous enhancement of the enterprise resource planning system in order to develop it. The staff receive regular training so that their work will comply with the ever-evolving requirements for quality, the environment and occupational safety and health. The UFF policy approach is communicated to subcontractors and other partners as well. Service providers that commit to UFF’s policy approach are given preference in otherwise equal bids. UFF monitors, complies with and promotes legislation and other requirements that guide its work. Regular audits and documentation monitor the reaching of the set objectives and goals as well as the sufficiency and appropriateness of the available resources for the continuous development of operations.
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ORGANISATION In 2018, UFF still operated as an association; however, at the time of the publication of this report, the operations have been transformed to a foundation form. The organisation structure complies with the Finnish Foundations Act. The foundation is represented by a board of trustees that sees to the appropriate organisation of the foundation’s operations to fulfil its purpose. The managing director is in charge of the daily work of the organisation and is assisted by the operations manager and the managers of the functions (clothes collection, sorting, retail, partnerships). In order to secure the smoothness of operations, the members of the board and managing director of the association have committed themselves to continuing in the foundation’s operations.
Board in 2018:
-Örjan Österdal, chairperson of the board -Riitta Tamminen, vice-chairperson of the board -Jesper Wohlert, member of the board -Helle Lund, member of the board -Kaj Pihl, member of the board
Managing director: -Virve Groning
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SUPPORT FOR NON-PROFIT PURPOSES AND OPERATING EXPENSES Common benefit purposes: - Environmental services
51 %
- Global development work 13 % - Communications
1%
Fundraising: - Expenses
35 %
35 %
51 %
1% 13 %
Evironmental service Global development work Communications Fundraising expenses Total
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2018
2017
7 644 522 €
7 031 088 €
1 993 357 €
2 300 541 €
208 351 €
191 518 €
5 225 099 €
5 049 395 €
15 071 329 €
14 572 544 €
FUNDRAISING SOURCES
UFF’s fundraising
99,3%
The project support of the Ministry for foreign affairs of Finland and the European Union
0,7 %
0,7 %
99,3 %
The revenues of UFF’s fundraising The support of MFA and EU Total
2018
2017
15 156 492 €
14 176 195 €
108 748 €
629 420 €
15 265 240 €
14 805 615 €
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ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES UFF environmental services make it possible for Finns to recycle their unnecessary clothes, shoes and household textiles in an easy and responsible manner. Doing this, donors support non-profit global development and climate work. The expenses of the Finnish recycling services and the support for global development are covered by the proceeds from clothes sales. The clothes collection operates through containers placed in recycling points. The containers are emptied weekly, and up to three times a week in busy spots. The collection point network and the utilisation rate of individual collection points are monitored continuously in order to maintain the service level and cost efficiency. The collection area was expanded during spring 2018, and the northernmost collection point is located in the municipality of Inari. Donations are also welcome at all UFF second hand shops. In 2018, the UFF collection service reached more than 5.4 million Finns in 281 municipalities. The foundation had 1,543 collection points with 3,314 containers. A total of 14,541,289 kilos of clothes was donated in 2018. The largest amounts of clothes were collected in Helsinki, Tampere and Espoo. During its 31 years of operation in Finland, UFF has recycled close to 190 million kilos of clothes to be reused and recovered. UFF’s environmental services covering all of Finland are funded with the proceeds from clothes sales. No tax revenue is spent on the operation. In 2018, UFF spent over 7.6 million euros in producing the recycling services equalling about 1.4 euros per citizen.
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The reuse and utilization of clothes decreases energy and water consumption as well as greenhouse gas emissions in comparison to the manufacture of new products. The reuse of clothes that are fully usable as such conserves natural resources and reduces the use of harmful chemical substances and waste. UFF informs about clothes collection and recycling in order to steer as great an amount as possible of usable clothes to reuse. We ask that the donations are packed in closed plastic bags so that the clothes do not get wet or dirty during the collection and sorting process. Collection point information is available on the map on UFF’s website.
CLOTHES RECYCLING 96,5 % of collected clothes was reused either in its original form or as raw material in 2018. Whole sale
87,1 %
Fundraising shops 4,9 % Material recycling 4,5 % Energy waste
3,5 %
SORTING AND REUSE OF CLOTHES The reuse of clothes that are fully usable as such is the best option for the environment. A careful sorting of all donated clothes at the UFF sorting centre enables en efficient reuse of textiles. Compared to the manufacture of new textiles, the reuse of textiles for their original purpose significantly reduces waste, the emissions of carbon dioxide and chemicals and saves water. All sorting of clothes at the UFF complies with the order of priority set forth in the Waste Act of Finland. Primarily, textiles are sorted to be reused for their original purpose. Secondarily, clothes are used for raw material in the manufacture of new products, and only as a last resort, they are used for energy in incineration plants. Textiles donated to UFF are carefully sorted in order to accomplish the highest reutilisation rate possible. In 2018, the reutilisation rate reached 96.5%. The majority of donations, 87.1%, was reused through wholesale. Reuse through UFF second hand shops covered 4.9% of donations, 4.5% was recycled as raw material, and the remaining 3.5% was made use of in energy production at an incineration plant.
UFF accepts donations of these items, usable in their current condition:
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES IN NUMBERS IN 2018 • 14.5 M kilos of textiles collected • 5.4 M Finns reached • 281 municipalities • 1 543 collection points • 3 314 collection containers
• clothes • shoes • bags • accessories • household textiles • sports equipment • toys
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GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT UFF supports global development that aims to reduce poverty by focusing on education, sustainable environmental development and economic development. In 2018, the organisation funded 34 global development projects in the south of Africa and India. Global development projects supported by the foundation reached over 40,000 direct beneficiaries and almost 220,000 indirect beneficiaries. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the EU jointly funded three different projects during the year.
EDUCATION UFF supports the work of teacher training universities and colleges and advances primary and vocational education as well as development projects related to quality of education in India, Congo DR, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. Education is the most effective means of reducing poverty and inequality. It is an important tool for the building of a more just, equal and inclusive society. Children, young people and adults are provided with high-quality education, vocational skills as well as resources for meeting diverse challenges in their lives while showing consideration for others. Education is an enabler for a society that is productive, continuously learning, problem solving and lives in harmony with nature. A qualified teacher not only teaches but functions as an ambassador for equality and justice in the community. When everyone is guaranteed a good quality education, it becomes the motor for sustainable development and the key to a better world.
SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL DEVELOPMENT Preventing climate change and working toward sustainable development forms an important part of UFF’s global development activities. Teaching sustainable farming methods is a key part of agricultural projects in Africa. These methods mitigate the impacts of climate change and help in adapting to its impacts. The impacts of climate change are not felt equally: the poorest countries suffer the most. Everyone should be entitled to a healthy and varied diet, clean drinking water and functional sanitation. Adapting to climate change and combatting its effects require cooperation. UFF promotes environmental protection by e.g. supporting the use of renewable energy by building biogas plants in India.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT The focus of economic development is on ensuring equal opportunities for all. UFF provides annual support for the education of young people by enabling vocational courses and the work of vocational schools in its target countries. Sufficient livelihood supports comprehensive development. Farming projects advance the economic development of families and food security. When crops increase in size and in variety, the amount of products available for sale also increases. UFF also supports action groups for women as part of the farming projects. The action groups enable adult education and smallscale enterprising through micro-credit and savings groups.
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SUPPORT FOR GLOBAL DEVELO
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OPMENT PER PROJECT IN 2018
*
* including project funding sent by the UFF on behalf of the EU
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SUPPORT FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT WORK
FARMER TRAINING
EDUCATION
Farmer’s Club action groups feature among UFF’s economic development support programmes in the Sub-Saharan Africa, where the majority of the population make their living in agriculture.
Teacher training 37,5 % Vocational training 5,3 % Basic education 3,0 % Higher education 1,4 %
SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL DEVELOPMENT Biogas and environmental projects 3,8 %
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Farmer training 45,2 % Child Aid and community development 3,8 % 3,8 %
Child Aid and community development
37,5 % Teacher training
45,2 % Farmer training
Farmers learn how to grow and use new types of crops and how to use of organic fertilisers and pesticides. Through cooperation groups, farmers are able to take larger quantities of crops to the market and they can make larger purchases for better prices when they e.g. purchase seeds. Farmer’s Club action groups help to improve the productivity of agriculture and increase food security, and the livelihoods of small farmers and their families become more secure. The groups develop small farmers’ professional skills and enhance the sustainability of the community and farm by improving their access to water. FARMERS’ CLUB PROJECT MOZAMBIQUE
5,3 % Vocational training
3,0 % 3,8 % Biogas and environmental projects Basic education 1,4 % Higher education
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These groups work to improve the livelihoods and diets of the rural population. Farmers’ capacities are developed in many ways. The crops of their vegetable gardens and fields are either set aside for their own use or sold.
The four-year Farmers’ Club project was implemented in Mozambique with the support of UFF and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland in the regions of Maringue, Caia, Namacurra and Nicoadala. The key aim of the project was to contribute to reducing rural poverty and enhance the quality of life of almost 15,000 small scale farmers and their families. The project supported the development of agriculture and initiation of sustainable economic development. In addition to Farmers’ Club activities,
the project focused on micro-financing and marketing. Specific attention was paid to womens’ role in the society as primary producers, woman-led households and young farmers. In the project, a total of 14,769 farmers learned about new farming techniques, which have been adopted extensively in the regions. Compared to the baseline, the project has generated clear and concrete results. New farming techniques have increased the harvest in the region, and crop wastage has decreased by nearly 40 % thanks to the crop storages built in the project. Food processing and crop refinement have had a considerable impact on the diets and food security of the regions’ farmers and their families. Granaries have increased the availability of food from the previous 2–3 months to 9–12 months, completely getting rid of the hunger periods previously experienced by the communities. Moreover, many small scale farmers can now grow enough crops for sale at the local market, increasing the earnings of families. The Farmers’ Club project took the environmental aspect of climate sustainability into account by teaching the farmers to build energy-efficient, fuel-saving stoves. Almost 9,000 small scale farmers began to use energy-efficient stoves, considerably reducing the amount of trees used for fuel and time spent on procuring them. 18 nursery gardens were established in the project and more than 1,100,000 trees were planted. The survival rate of planted trees improved by 75%, thanks to the work performed by the district and project agricultural engineers and the favourable weather conditions that have prevailed in recent years. The subsequent operation of Farmers’ Clubs was developed by registering the clubs officially as associations. The follow-up of the operations was also supported through economic measures, such as by establishing savings groups. .
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EDUCATION PROJECTS Education is an efficient way of building a more equal society with more liberty and wellbeing. Schools are the most important tool in reducing inequality and poverty. The training of new teachers and the improvement of the quality of teaching in the rural regions of developing countries form the key to societal development. A significant share of UFF’s project support is allocated to education projects in rural areas. TEACHER TRAINING UFF has supported teacher training for almost thirty years. Teachers that graduate from the teacher training collage take on diverse and demanding positions in rural schools in particular. In addition to teaching, teachers organise community development activities like courses for adults and hobby groups. DEVELOPMENT OF THE QUALITY OF TEACHING The purpose of UFF teaching development projects is to improve the quality of teaching at the basic level in primary schools in peripheral regions. Supplementary education is arranged for teachers and they are offered the opportunity for vocational learning through networking with other teachers. The teachers’ professional skills are enhanced so that they may observe their pupils’ individual needs and their different starting points. TEACHER TRAINING UNIVERSITY The education in teacher training universities stresses a wide perspective in regard to social responsibility. University graduates, who become
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trainers of teachers, work in teacher training colleges and educate the next generation of local teachers. The teacher training university also offers the possibility for remote studies.
The two-year ’Another Kind of Teacher’ programme of the teacher training institute trains teachers in pupiloriented teaching that takes the pupil’s age and grade into consideration.
BASIC EDUCATION
The training programme includes theory and hands-on training for teachers of grades 1–5. The project aims to enhance the quality of teaching in rural schools and engage the community in an environment apt for raising children.
Schools for disadvantaged children promote opportunities for children living in the streets and in slums to attend school if that is not possible in state-run establishments. Poor families need the labour input of their children and all children are not necessarily registered in any population information system. The operation of these schools is adapted to suit the living conditions of such children and families, and the children’s transition to state-run education is supported. In addition to basic education, these schools provide food and healthcare and offer courses for adults. VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Vocational education provides the training required for vocational qualifications and prepares students for pursuing their professions independently. The objective is to support the development of these students into responsible, active members of the society. In addition to vocational skills, students gain many other competences such as project planning and implementation while they also learn to assume personal responsibility for their own success. TEACHER TRAINING INSTITUTE INDIA UFF has supported a teacher training institute managed by its project partner, Humana People to People India, in the state of Haryana in India since 2014. Illiteracy is common among the 25 million residents of Haryana; more than 32% of the women living in the state are illiterate.
The training facilitates the production of innovative and creative teaching materials at a low cost. Using new kinds of participatory teaching materials inspires pupils to attend school regularly. The project encourages teachers to be active in researching the subjects they teach through public debate and writing articles. The teachers also learn about collaboration with stakeholders and the benefits it provides to teaching. As part of their training, the students of the teacher training institute undergo a hands-on training period to put their pedagogic theoretical studies into practice. The training period helps the students to understand the practical goals of the programme and increases their self-confidence and impact as teachers. During the period, the students devise lesson plans and teaching materials, teach lessons and lead hobby clubs, as well as provide support measures to children in need of additional support. Organising cultural and other events provides the students with hands-on experience in collaboration with the authorities. Volunteer cleaning, on the other hand, provide an opportunity for diverse instruction in health and hygiene. The project provides the participating students with a unique opportunity to diversely learn about the Indian society and its impacts on the education system. Engaging the community is an essential part of the project structure as an element that provides the society with positive change. The project aims to train qualified teachers who can diversely impact their pupils’ lives.
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CHILD AID The Child Aid projects supported by UFF provide comprehensive aid to their beneficiaries. These projects improve children’s circumstances by building up their communities and families in many different ways such as providing health education, communicating about the importance of education and offering training in issues related to food security, nutrition and environmental protection. Families involved in Child Aid projects build sanitary facilities, wells and tippy-taps in villages, and they repair preschool buildings. Projects work actively to prevent malaria, cholera and HIV/AIDS. From the projects, orphaned children and their caregivers receive the special support they need. Preschools maintained by Child Aid projects prepare children for studies in state-run comprehensive schools. Preschools make it significantly easier for children to start school, their learning results improve, and the number of school dropouts is reduced. Attending preschool prepares children for challenging conditions and provides them with a good foundation for upcoming school life, developing their learning skills and social skills. Child Aid projects also provide reading courses for adults. CHILD AID ZAMBIA UFF has supported six Child Aid projects in Zambia since 2016. The interactive learning project has reached over 1,200 untrained teachers in more than 400 Zambian village schools across 12 districts. The goal of the project is to improve children’s learning opportunities by developing the level of education in Zambian village schools.
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The quality of teaching in Zambian rural schools has even been at the same level with state-run schools, even though they are managed with the extremely limited resources of the village parents. This success can be attributed to the unpaid and untrained but committed voluntary teachers of the rural schools. The interactive learning project instructs volunteer teachers of rural Zambian schools in modern teaching methods. There are training days arranged for the teachers, and they can loan tablet computers and solar panels for charging them. The tablets have training videos and other materials for self-studying after the working day for the teachers. The training helps volunteer teachers to provide diverse teaching using local materials and encourages them to maintain peer-to-peer support activities with the other village school teachers in the area. The training focuses on planning, preparing and implementing interactive learning, application of age-specific materials and utilisation of the local environment in teaching. During the ten-month training period, the volunteer teachers have access to diverse support measures, such as study groups. The volunteer teachers taking part in the training submit their completed sessions electronically for assessment at the end of each week. Project instructors and representatives of the Ministry of General Education of Zambia visit the schools to monitor the teaching and assess how the utilisation of new teaching methods is put into practice. At the end of the training, almost 80% of the participating volunteer teachers passed the final exam. The project has had a considerable impact. Volunteer teachers who have taken part in the training and use new teaching methods reached almost one in two of the half a million children studying in rural schools in Zambia.
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COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT The focus of community development projects is on the empowerment of local communities and on the power of positive changes. Community development projects support village residents’ education, health and economic possibilities. These projects strengthen the entire community around the child, improving the child’s possibilities for success in challenging circumstances. Households and village communities are educated in issues of health, sanitation, alternative income opportunities, education, regional development, environmental protection and social participation. The UFF supported community development projects take diverse approaches. The HIV/AIDS programme, for example, provides information about the prevention and diagnostics of sexually transmitted diseases, as well as provides testing and counselling services and referrals to treatment. Community development projects also support environmental protection and organise health campaigns. Theatre pieces about health themes are created and performed so that the matters can be discussed in a way that suits even small children. The environmental protection activities stress the importance of planting trees to prevent erosion and improve food security. The food security programme included in all projects helps families prepare for the growing season and set up small vegetable gardens. To protect the environment, communities are taught to plant trees in a sustainable way and to set up tree nurseries.
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GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION A part of UFF’s non-profit activities is to bring sustainable development, climate change and the challenges of developing countries into the everyday lives of Finns through publicity. In addition to recycling of clothes and global development, informing about climate and development issues is a key part of the work of the organisation. The organisation communicates actively about the impact of its work both in Finland and abroad, such as the outcomes of global development projects and the environmental impacts of the clothes collection activities to the foundation’s staff and external stakeholders. UFF shares information about its activities through its diverse communication channels, such as its website, publications, social media channels and at diverse events. UFF’s annual report is published in Finnish and English. In 2018, the UFF website had approximately 430,000 visitors. Mostly, the visitors looked for information related to the clothes collection and the locations and opening hours of the second hand shops.
zoo and giving lectures on climate and global development work at the Perho Business College. School and media visits took place at UFF’s sorting centre in Klaukkala and the second hand shops on the themes of sustainable development and climate work. Visitors from countries, such as Germany and India, came to learn about UFF’s operation. UFF organised a seminar on diverse responsibility as a driver of growth, with counsels from among others Castrén & Snellman and Fennia presenting their corporate responsibility strategies. A global development specialist from the UFF attended the side events of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP24. UFF continued the ecological collaborations with Neste Corporation concerning the use of renewable diesel made from waste and with Amerplast Oy concerning the introduction of shopping bags made from recycled plastic. The foundation also supported several Finnish parties in the form of communication collaboration and donations, such as the Hope association supporting children and the Night of the Homeless Citizens campaign.
FUNDRAISING
UFF’s presence on social media grew considerably, reaching more than 840,000 people during the year. The foundation communicated, for example, about sustainable development goals during the European Sustainable Development Week, the positive impact of the recycling of clothes on world’s water resources on the World Water Day and about the significance of human rights in global development projects on the International Day of the Girl Child.
UFF raises funds in order to carry out its non-profit operations; climate and global development work and communicating about them. Customers shopping at UFF’s second hand shops support climate work in Finland and global development work in SubSaharan Africa and India. In 2018, UFF had 17 second hand shops in the south of Finland. Of these, 11 were located in Helsinki, two in Tampere and the others in Espoo, Vantaa, Turku and Jyväskylä.
Among other things, the organisation was involved in arranging a workshop for schools at the Korkeasaari
Buying a recycled product constitutes an ethical choice that supports sustainable development.
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UFF SECOND HAND SHOPS RECYCLED MORE THAN 2 MILLION PIECES OF CLOTHING TO REUSE IN 2018.
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By choosing UFF to shop in, the customer supports sustainable development, employment in Finland and global development. Every reused piece of clothing reduces waste, the consumption of energy and water, carbon dioxide emissions and harmful chemicals. UFF second hand shops provide consumers with a sustainable, ecological choice as well as clothes in personal styles. The clothes selection consists of high-quality clothes in vintage and current styles. Buying a recycled product is an environmentally sound choice that also supports environmental work in Finland and global development work projects in Africa and India. The sustainable use of natural resources mitigates climate change, the adverse effects of which are felt particularly by the people in the poorest countries. UFF raises funds for global development through direct donations as well. The clothes selections in the shops offer clothes for the entire family. The selection changes several times a year in accordance with the seasons. You may follow current events and campaigns in UFF shops on the organisation’s website and its Facebook pages. You can also subscribe for the mailing list for regular UFF customers on the website.
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY The recycling operations enabled by the clothes donations by Finns support environmental sustainability by increasing the reuse of textiles and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. UFF self-finances the cost of the recycling services in Finland, and it is committed to extending the life cycle of recycled textiles and to more climate friendly energy solutions in accordance with its environmental programme.
In addition to supporting sustainable development, one of the starting points of UFF’s work is the mitigation of the impacts of climate change. The sustainable use of natural resources also in the case of clothes mitigates climate change. Donations are carefully sorted in order to accomplish the highest reuse rate possible. Reuse refers to using textiles for their original planned purpose. Reusing clothes that are usable in their current condition is the best option from the point of view of the environment, providing significant savings in the consumption of water and chemicals as well as CO₂ emissions compared to the production of new textiles. The high reuse rate of donated clothes is made possible by careful sorting. UFF’s clothes sorting complies with the order of priority set forth in the Waste Act of Finland, so that textiles are primarily sorted to be reused for their original purpose, secondarily used for raw material and as a last resort for energy production. The reutilisation rate of donations was 96.5% in 2018. 87% of the collected clothes were reused through wholesale. Almost 5% of donations were sold at UFF’s shops as individual items. 4.5% of donations were sold to reuse as materials, including as rags for the construction industry. Of the collected items, only 3.5% were waste unsuitable for reuse. During its over thirty years of operation, UFF has helped to diminish carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 4 billion kilos, reduced the use of pesticides by almost 300 million kilos and saved 1.5 billion cubic metres of water through its clothes recycling operation. The foundation has increasingly migrated towards ecological energy solutions in all of its operations, such as using renewable electricity. The collection service is executed as ecologically as possible, using diesel made from waste and residue.
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UFF’S CUSTOMERS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT REDUCING THE USE OF PLASTIC BAGS UFF has been a member of the Ministry of the Environment of Finland and Finnish Commerce Federation’ Green deal agreement on plastic bags, supporting the achievement of the objectives of reducing the consumption of plastic bags pursuant to the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive. In 2018, new plastic bags were made almost fully from recycled materials, and the product reaches carbon neutrality as the result of several uses. The aim of the agreement was to reduce the overall use of plastic bags at UFF shops by 25%. The total consumption of plastic bags at the shops decreased by 60% from the baseline of 2016, so the reduction goal was achieved several times over.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT UFF supports global development projects that promote education, employment, livelihoods and food security. In 2018, UFF supported 34 projects for the benefit of people living in extreme poverty in Africa and India. UFF’s global development activities take place in the least developed communities in India, DR Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia. A key focus of the projects is on education from preschool to vocational and higher education, as well as on environmental and community development, promoting sustainable development.
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Finns have supported the work on climate and global development already for more than three decades by donating clothes and money. This support has provided relief for hundreds of thousands of people in the poorest countries of the world, advancing the quality of their lives through education, small farming, private enterprising and community development. In 2018, in order to help local fundraising, the partner organisations in Africa were donated clothes and shoes suitable for reuse. With these recycled clothes, UFF’s global development partners collected funds for e.g. education and community development projects. The typical buyers of clothes from UFF’s global development partners include local microentrepreneurs who often employ a few more persons besides themselves.
UFF AS AN EMPLOYER At the end of 2018, UFF employed 268 professionals in sales, production, logistics, administration, communications and global development work. The organisation has a workplace wellbeing programme developed for supporting wellbeing at work as well as safety at work. As an employer, UFF provides its employees with training in labor laws and collective agreements to promote safe working.
SAFETY AT WORK UFF aims to a be safe and sustainable workplace. Safety at work forms an essential part of the daily routines of every UFF employee. A good occupational safety culture increases the wellbeing, expertise and results gained by the work community.
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The occupational safety culture is built at the foundation’s workplaces through regular occupational safety trainings, among other measures. SafetyTen events, distributing information about safe working methods, have been established to promote the sharing and follow-up of the common safety knowledge and expertise at the workplace. The organisation has occupational safety card instructors who annually organise occupational safety card trainings aimed at employees. UFF uses the Safe Company service to enhance occupational safety. The service is used for collecting observations about near miss situations and safety incidents to improve occupational safety. UFF’s internal communications invested in enhancing the practices of occupational safetyrelated communications. Shop personnel meetings focused on reviewing safety practices and topical matters, ensuring the employees’ expertise and correct operating procedures and integrating a safety mindset into the day-to-day work routines. The development of flow of information in internal communications has also increased job satisfaction.
ECONOMIC RESPONSIBILITY Anticipative risk management, careful operation and planning and monitoring of profitability are part of the organisation’s operating culture. UFF reports on its financial indicators in accordance with good corporate governance. The organisation and its partners all have anti-corruption policies, routines of internal control, and both local and international auditing of finances and operations. In addition to numerous internal audits, all UFF functions in Finland and developing countries undergo independent financial audits. The organisation receives audit reports on all functions and all supported global development projects. The receipt of global development aid is monitored through audits and project reports as well as by regular communication. Recipients of state aid undergo annual inspection and evaluation visits so that all reported progress may be verified on site. Both UFF and partner associations’ aid for global development projects is audited by an international auditing firm. The audits cover all accounting and payment transfers in order to ensure that all resources are allocated to non-profit purposes: work on climate and global development. UFF is one of the founders of the association VaLa, Responsible Donating and it also was one of the writers of guidelines for good corporate governance.
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DONATING During 2018, Finns supported UFF’s work on climate and global development very actively. Clothes donations were the most popular form of donation this year as well. Almost three kilos of clothes were donated per person in Finland to UFF. Clothes donations are welcome at all UFF second hand shops in addition to the recycling points located in over 280 municipalities. UFF’s global development activities in 2018 were supported by almost two hundred Children’s Ambassador donors, and customers shopping at UFF shops supported projects by participating in donation campaigns. In addition to clothes donations, direct monetary donations to coin collections, bank account or shops generated a total of 38,287 euros
GLOBAL COLLABORATION NETWORK UFF is one of the founders of the Federation of Associations connected to the International Humana People to People Movement. These organisations are non-profit and work toward sustainable development, improving the living conditions and education of people in developing countries and the livelihoods and healthcare of families and communities. The work of the organisations in this international collaboration network is local and autonomous. Their collaboration makes it possible for them to share best process practices in e.g. global development and clothes recycling. This global collaboration network also helps the member organisations in their different countries find experienced, reliable and competent partners for global development projects in different fields.
CONTACT INFORMATION •Main office and sorting centre: Järvihaantie 12, Klaukkala, tel. 358 (9) 276 4760 •Clothes collection: tel. +358 (9) 2764 7622, vaatekerays@ uff.fi •Communications and global development: tel. +358 (9) 2764 7644, info@uff.fi •Job applications: hakemukset@uff.fi •Wholesale: tel. +358 (9) 2764 7664, wholesale@uff.fi •Office: tel. +358 (9) 2764 7665, office@uff.fi •Finance: tel. +358 (9) 2764 7655, finance@uff.fi •E-invoice information: U-landshjälp från Folk till Folk i Finland sr, 2952170-7, •E-invoice address: FI5020011800390521, Operator: Nordea (NDEAFIHH) Data format: Finvoice •Donations account: Nordea FI49 2001 1800 3905 39 •Permit: RA/2019/423
Shops •Espoontori, tel. 010 419 7574, Kamreerintie 3, ESPOO •Bulevardi, tel. 010 419 7555, Bulevardi 30, HELSINKI •Arabia, tel. 010 419 7566, Hämeentie 111, HELSINKI •Fredrikinkatu, tel. 010 419 7563, Fredrikinkatu 36, HELSINKI •Hakaniemi, tel. 010 419 7564, Hämeentie 4, HELSINKI •Sörnäinen, tel. 010 419 7565, Hämeentie 29, HELSINKI •Malmi, tel. 010 419 7568,, Malminkaari 13-16, HELSINKI •Töölö, tel. 010 419 7569, Mannerheimintie 104, HELSINKI •Kontula, tel. 010 419 7570, Ostostie 4, HELSINKI •Kamppi, tel. 010 419 7571, Runeberginkatu 4 C, HELSINKI •Ruoholahti, tel. 010 419 7567, Itämerenkatu 21, HELSINKI •Itäkeskus, tel. 010 419 7572, Turunlinnantie 12, HELSINKI •Vuosaari, tel. 010 419 7573, Tyynylaavantie 5, HELSINKI •Hyvinkää, tel. 010 419 7582, Torikatu 7, HYVINKÄÄ •Tampere, tel. 010 419 7575, Hämeenkatu 9, TAMPERE •Hervanta, tel. 010 419 7579, Pietilänkatu 2, TAMPERE •Turku, tel. 010 419 7576, Humalistonkatu 5, TURKU •Jyväskylä, tel. 010 419 7577, Asemakatu 4, JYVÄSKYLÄ •Vantaa, tel.010 419 7578, Asematie 4-10, VANTAA
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DONATION ACCOUNT Nordea FI49 2001 1800 3905 39 Permit: RA/2019/423
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