Case studies
Partnerships that made a difference
What if this didn't go to landfill? Little A.R.K. works with corporates, agencies, and event organisers to intercept textile and material waste at the moment it matters — and redirect it into something the community can use, wear, and keep.
Worn again: how Merton Council's old hi-vis vests found a new life with GoodGym
When Merton Council updated their branding, a collection of perfectly good hi-vis vests became redundant overnight — until Little A.R.K. and GoodGym Merton stepped in.
Vests rescued
100%
New rebrand
1
Merton volunteers
GoodGym
Carried with care: 560 drain bag carriers for cancer patients, made from exhibition leftovers
Little A.R.K.'s volunteers are turning post-exhibition fabric into drain bag carriers that bring comfort and dignity to cancer patients recovering from surgery.
Drain bag carriers
560+
Volunteers
10+
Partner charities
2
Keeping the warmth in: 230 draught excluders, 690 kg of textile waste, and homes that cost less to heat
Home heating accounts for around 14% of UK emissions. Little A.R.K.'s draught excluders — filled by young adults with learning disabilities — tackle waste and energy poverty at once.
Draught excluders
230+
Textile waste diverted
~690 kg
CO₂e saved
~2,415 kg
Carry more, waste less: how 300 preloved tote bags changed hands in Merton
Bed sheets, pillow covers, and unwanted fabric samples became 300 reusable tote bags — given freely to the people who needed them most.
Bags made
300
Textile waste prevented
~90 kg
To Community Fridge
100
Stitched into something beautiful: the art installation that fabric scraps built
Working with The Sound Lounge — a community arts venue in Morden — a group of local makers turned fabric offcuts into a textile art installation.
Reclaimed materials
100%
Venues hosted
2
Community Wellbeing
200 visitors
'I felt protected': the community that refused to leave anyone behind
At 263 days of shielding, Jo Leigh was terrified. Then a neighbour she had never met brought her a heater — and everything changed.
Mutual aid volunteers
1,000+
Masks distributed
23,000
New CIC born
1
The Blooming: how one driveway became a forest of kindness
When the pandemic hit and masks were impossible to find, one mother of five in Morden started sewing — and a single driveway grew into a borough-wide network.
Masks made
38,500+
Sewn by Syebvonne
12,000+
Tree network
6+ boroughs