Remote Opshop Project – First Nations Circular Textile Transformation

In remote First Nations communities, a lack of equal access to necessities such as clothing and household goods is widespread, and items in remote stores are often excessively priced. While prices are high, incomes are as low as $300 a week, forcing a mother to choose between a towel and food. Simultaneously, Australia faces a pressing environmental crisis. Each year, over 200,000 tonnes of clothing end up in landfills.

ROP harnesses excess to tackle significant social and economic inequalities, bridging the gap for Australia’s First Nations peoples while promoting environmental sustainability. Since 2016, ROP have been developing a network of community-owned opshops. The opshops provide: 1/ Access to affordable clothing and household goods. 2/ Small business training that leads to future business and employment opportunities, and; 3/ Generate independent funding to support local cultural projects. There are 20+ opshops across the country and 35,000 public donors. The Opshop operates as a social enterprise underpinned by circular economy principles, diverting excess from landfill and tackling resource constraints in remote communities.

Overall impact: In the last eight years, we have directly observed how this social enterprise serves as a catalyst for empowerment and self-determination, a privilege that First Nations peoples have been unjustly deprived of for far too long. Impact Summary: Social Impact: Human Connection, Self-Determination, Agency, Empowerment Economic Impact: Redistribution of Wealth, Indigenous Entrepreneurship, Indigenous Business Development, Remote Economic Development Environmental Impact: Product life extension, reduced carbon emissions, circular textile solution Cultural Impact: Cultural Survival, Cross-Cultural Connection

Remote Opshop Project currently receives goods donations directly from a public following of 35,000 supporters. First Nations women who own and manage the op-shops in remote communities post on a private Facebook group asking for donations. In response, 35,000 donors in the urban locations respond, sending over 100kg weekly to each of the 20+ locations. In the next 3-6 months, ROP will scale and engage the apparel and textile industry as part of the solution centred around a reuse and recycling hub in Northern Australia. The reuse hub collects and sorts excess stock, then sends the best quality items to the network of remote op-shops for resale - minimising waste and maximising the viability of the op-shop network.