Goodwill @ Work

Goodwill @ Work

Organization: Goodwill Industries of Alberta
Website: https://www.goodwill.ab.ca/programs/

Project description

Goodwill @ Work is a set of small businesses run by Goodwill Industries of Alberta. These businesses create meaningful jobs for people with disabilities or other barriers by upcycling donated items and doing contract work for local companies. Every item saved from the landfill is also a chance for a teammate to learn skills, earn income and contribute to a greener Calgary.

In Calgary, projects include the Cleaning Cloth program (turning donated towels into shop rags sold in stores and to businesses), Repair for Good (fixing damaged furniture for resale) and Repurpose by GW (turning old jeans into denim tote bags). These projects currently provide eight permanent jobs for Calgarians with disabilities. Sales from these programs help sustain the work and the teams behind it.

Benefit to Calgarians

  • Creates paid jobs for people with disabilities or other barriers, so more Calgarians can participate fully in our economy and community
  • Builds on each worker’s strengths to help them succeed, with supportive tasks and on-the-job learning
  • Diverts usable items from the landfill and encourages repair and reuse, which helps keep neighbourhood waste down
  • Plans to offer workshops that teach people how to fix furniture and clothing, so more repairs can happen at home

Climate impact

Goodwill @ Work gives new life to items that would otherwise be thrown away. Since mid-2023, these Calgary programs have kept over 3,000 kilograms of material out of the landfill.

Making a single pair of jeans uses about 6,800 litres of water. By turning old jeans into tote bags, the program saves hundreds of thousands of litres of water and reduces demand for new textiles, which lowers greenhouse gas emissions over time.

Innovation and inclusion

Goodwill @ Work designs tasks around each person’s abilities and partners with local organizations that share a commitment to inclusive, environmentally responsible jobs. A Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Committee, made up of team members from many backgrounds, helps guide this work. More than 47 per cent of Goodwill staff identify as coming from minority backgrounds.

These practices support equitable access to meaningful work while advancing a circular economy in Calgary.

Explore the other featured programs

Awaken Garden Collective

West Runway Rehabilitation Project (WRRP)

Forests for Calgary

Calgary Seed Library

Empower Calgary

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