Second-Hand Sportswear: LUSU Green and LUWiS
Monday 03-11-2025 - 13:45
Written by Niamh McAuley
Niamh is the General Secretary of the Women+ in Sport Society.
LUSU Green and Lancaster University’s Women+ in Sport Society (hereafter, LUWiS) are extremely excited to launch our newest collaborative campaign: ‘Second-hand Sportswear’.
Who are we?
LUSU Green is the home for sustainability volunteering, events and campaigns based in Lancaster University’s Students’ Union. We're here to support sustainability journey and empower you to help take action on the climate and ecological crises. LUWiS is focused on advocating for equality, running campaigns and building an inclusive community on behalf of women’s+ athletes at Lancaster.
Our collaborative partnership with LUSU Green has allowed us to expand our offering, focusing on kit and sportswear. The aim of Second-hand Sportswear is to provide students a chance to donate old, unwanted and still usable kit to the campaign for it to be given a second life by being bought by other students. Thanks to the kindness of Lancaster University’s Don’t Ditch It Team, we have been able to start building a stock of sportswear for distribution, but we want more!
So why are we doing this?
Firstly, the environmental impact of clothes waste is excessive, ‘Globally, the fashion industry generates 92 million tonnes of textile waste annually, a figure projected to increase to 134 million tonnes by 2030’ – a stat taken from UN Environment Programme (UNEP). By raising awareness for this issue, we hope to highlight the responsibility of consumers to remain informed and implement best practice. Second-hand Sportswear will re-distribute sportswear that is unwanted or no longer fits. 
Sportswear has an important environmental cost; synthetic fabrics used in sportswear are extremely energy intensive to produce and often not biodegradable. Recycling and giving clothes another lease of life means reduced landfill input and increased circular economy.
Secondly, the financial burden of purchasing new sportwear and kit is also important for students and can be a barrier to entry, especially whilst the cost of living is still prominent. To reduce the financial inequality some students might face, this campaign uses a ‘pay as you feel’ pricing system which allows for donations within each person’s budget.
While accessing and participating in sport for women and female identifying students is at the core of LUWiS, this campaign open to all students to help reduce one barrier to sport.
How can you help & where to find us
Don’t let your old kit gather dust at the back of the cupboard, pass it on! Every donation helps give someone else the chance to get stuck into sport and feel part of the team. We are still open and collecting donations. Bring it into the SU and add to our collection pile!
You can also help by showing up! We will be in Alexandra Square on Tuesday 18th November 11-3pm. Come by and do a bit of responsible rummaging! You might find your new favourite training top!
