News
Mar 2026
Street Art Meets Circular Fashion
What if the next big streetwear drop didn’t require making anything new?
On 5 March 2026, Traid, Alterist and Our Planet Needs You (OPNY) launch a limited-edition collection of upcycled T-shirts at Traid’s Shepherd’s Bush store, transforming donated second-hand garments into bold, street art–inspired pieces.
Each T-shirt is printed on a pre-loved blank collected through Traid’s nationwide reuse network. Designs by Alterist draw on characters from our educational storybook illustrated by street artist Kleemu.
Young people from the OPNY programme have also created their own design, putting youth voice front and centre.
Big Drop, Small Footprint
Guests at the launch choose a pre-loved T-shirt, select a print, and have the finished piece delivered to their door. No new garments. No new fabric. Just existing clothing reworked and recirculated.
After the event, one-off pieces will be available via Alterist.
According to WRAP’s Textiles 2030 report, upcycling can cut carbon emissions by up to 57% compared to producing new items. Each repurposed T-shirt can save more than 7.5kg of CO₂e.
In a culture obsessed with the new, this project asks a simple question: what if the future of fashion is what we already have?
The OPNY Ring Pull
A small object, once discarded. Now redefined.
As the emblem of Our Planet Needs You, the ring pull is a symbol of reuse. A reminder that value doesn’t disappear when something is used.
As part of our sustainable fashion activation, we'll be making them available as an optional add-on to any up-cycled T-shirts and preloved clothing purchased at Traid.
Every ring pull has lived a different life. Every garment it’s attached to will be pre-loved, reworked, and one of one. Just like the person wearing it.
Youth Culture as Climate Action
The drop forms part of OPNY’s wider education programme, which empowers young people to take nine measurable actions tackling pollution and climate change, from reducing waste to giving pre-loved clothing a second life. Rolling out across London this September, with plans to expand nationally, the initiative aims to reach the UK’s 10 million students — around 15% of the population.
By combining street art, second-hand fashion and data-backed environmental action, the collaboration reframes sustainability as culture, not compliance.
Together, Traid, Alterist and OPNY show how circular fashion can operate as a connected system — where reuse, design and youth momentum move together, without manufacturing anything new.
News
Jan 2026
Hammersmith & Fulham Council support Our Planet Needs You
Local Community | Climate Action
Thanks to support from Hammersmith & Fulham Council, we’ve expanded our pilot to 10 schools in the borough, reaching over 4000 people.
Our Planet Needs You™ educates young people on low-carbon living and empowers them to inspire sustainable behaviour change in their communities.
Programme activities are delivered by trained youth leads from youth organisations and secondary schools, giving them hands-on experience that builds real pathways into green economy jobs.
We’re excited to introduce Marley James Billing-Delapenha (Youth Programme Lead) and Janvi Poddar (Data Lead), who are helping us scale the programme and launch our Earthometer™ data dashboard soon.
In 2026, we move to a fully digital delivery model, putting us on track to make our youth-led programme available to 3,000+ youth organisations and schools across London from September.
That means real, significant, measurable cuts to pollution and carbon across the city in support of the UK's net zero goals.
Follow us on Instagram for more updates as we scale 🌎
News
May 2025
Located in Glastonbury, Somerset, Heart of The Tribe is a contemporary, community art gallery driven by the belief that art holds transformative power; offering connection, healing, and support for mental wellbeing.
The gallery champions emerging and local artists, offering a space for creative expression and personal storytelling that inspires, uplifts, and fosters genuine connection.
Staying true to its mission of backing projects that enrich the community, Heart of The Tribe generously supported Our Planet Needs You during its launch year.
This support unlocked crucial match funding from the School for Social Entrepreneurs, enabling OPNY to expand from a successful 2024 pilot with 300 young people to a borough-wide rollout engaging 2,000 young people in 2025.
Julian Clark, founder of Heart of The Tribe, shares why supporting OPNY felt like a natural fit:
“When I first learned about OPNY, I was inspired by its clear, simple, and actionable steps to reduce carbon emissions and waste –backed by a way to measure the impact.
It offers a practical pathway towards net zero in the UK while also uniting communities in meaningful collective action.”
We're proud to have the support of partners like Heart of The Tribe as we work to empower the next generation to lead the charge on climate action through creativity, collaboration, and local impact.