More and more of us want to live sustainably but the practical aspects often get in the way.
There are only so many hours in the day, no extra space in our homes and sometimes the existing solutions are just too complicated for even the most motivated planet-dwellers.
I've got piles of vitamin blister packs, crisp tubes, old shoes, plant pots, plastic bags, cosmetic pots and toys waiting optimistically to be taken somewhere for reuse or recycling. I'll do almost anything to avoid throwing things in our grey waste bin. And I've got a huge pile of clothes that need mending ......
I used to taking clothes to seamstress and tailor clothes alteration and repair services. When I lived in Paris, it was only a small detour to drop off clothes for mending with my neighbourhood tailor. (He always did an incredible job, at prices so low I couldn't understand how he managed). But since I moved back to Britain, all my options mean at least 20 minutes in the car and finding and paying for parking (both to drop off and then collect) and accepting the wasted trips when my nearest seamstress service is closed for a well-earned holiday or overrun with wedding dress alterations.
So, in the interests of clearing my mending bag, and hopefully providing an easy win for living more sustainability for others, I have created Mend by Mail - an online service providing clothes repair and alterations through the post.
Just choose the service you need on our website - rip repair, zip repair or replacement, woollen hole darning, etc - and we'll send you an envelope and postage labels to use. Drop off the parcel at any Post Office and your mended or altered garment will be delivered back to your doorstep.
For extra sustainability points, we use reusable heavy-duty canvas envelopes for the service.
Hopefully we'll stop clothes going to landfill and delay the purchase of new clothes by keeping our own clothes going for longer. At the same time, we'll maybe shift society away from fast fashion - buying clothes which won't last and can't be mended - and towards treasuring the things we have, made from the planet's precious resources.
One easy win for sustainability at a time!