Egyptian Clothing Bank

What Egyptian Clothing Bank does

The Egyptian Clothing Bank (ECB) is a Cairo-based, non-profit zero-waste organization founded in 2012 that operates a closed-loop textile redistribution model across Egypt. It collects donated and excess clothing from manufacturers, retailers, traders, and individuals through collection boxes, online campaigns, a mobile app (iOS/Android), and a network of partner organizations; it then sorts, repairs, recycles, transforms, and upcyclizes the textile stream, redistributing usable garments and converting damaged material into new products such as winter quilts. Its core operations are delivered through 162 workshops spread across 14 Egyptian governorates (including Upper Egypt, Cairo, Giza, Mahalla, Arish, Sinai, and the Delta), with a stated impact of 753,000 damaged pieces recycled into 40,000 quilts in 2023, more than 2 million families served through winter campaigns, and over 1 million underprivileged students supported with school kits.

ECB monetizes its mission primarily through in-kind and monetary donations (Zakah, Sadaqah, Sadaqah Jariyah, and project-specific campaigns) channeled via bank transfer, hotline (17014), Egyptian payment gateways (Fawry, Paymob, Aman, Basata, InstaPay, Kashier, O Pay), and mobile wallets. A complementary revenue arm is Almah, the first charity retail store in Egypt (opened January 2024 in downtown Cairo), which sells vintage, upcycled, and recycled clothing with all profits redirected to ECB's production lines. The organization also generates recurring income through revenue-sharing partnerships with brands such as Aligned Athleisure, and receives material project funding from the EU's Interreg NEXT MED Waste2Fashion programme (€2.82M total budget, 88.5% EU co-funded, 2025-2028). It runs ten distinct beneficiary programs (Winter Campaign, Schools, Gaza Relief, Newlyweds, Eid, Young Athletes, Cancer Suits, Family Winter Box, Relief Convoys, Women Empowerment Workshops), supported by a roster of corporate and institutional partners including CIB Foundation (12-year anchor partner, EGP 23M donation), IKEA Egypt, Tide Egypt, B.TECH, Suez Canal Bank, Al Ahli United Bank, Attijariwafa Bank, Omar Marmoush, and the Waste2Fashion consortium (MedWaves, CEDARE, Museo del Tessuto, Tecnotessile, FTTH, FabricAID).

Name

Egyptian Clothing Bank

Legal name

Egyptian Clothing Bank

Website

https://egyptianclothingbank.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Egyptian Clothing Bank is a Cairo-based zero-waste non-profit founded in 2012 that collects, recycles, and redistributes donated clothing through 162 workshops across 14 Egyptian governorates, serving underprivileged families, orphans, students, brides, and disaster-affected communities via targeted seasonal and year-round programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Textile Redistribution Services

akta.pro primary industry

Donation, Resale & Textile Recycling Coordination (HSAFABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Textile & Apparel Recycling and Sorting (Non-E-waste) (BPALADAL), Textile & Apparel Sorting/Recovery Facilities (EUAIADAJ)

Keywords

• Textile recycling services
• Charitable clothing distribution
• Upcycled textile products
• Women empowerment training
• Zero-waste fashion NGO

Headquarters

HQ city

Cairo

HQ country

Egypt

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations (Clothing and Monetary): ECB collects textile waste and excess clothing from manufacturers, retailers, traders, and individual donors free of charge. Monetary donations are accepted through its website, payment gateways, hotline, and bank transfer. All donations support programs and activities according to internal policies.
2. Almah Charity Store (Social Enterprise): Almah is ECB's first charity store (opened January 2024, located in downtown Cairo), selling vintage, upcycled, and recycled clothing items. All profits are directed to ECB to fund production lines and cover beneficiary needs not met by in-kind donations (e.g., school bags, uniforms).
3. Revenue-Sharing from Upcycled Product Partnerships: ECB provides upcycled materials to partner brands (e.g., Aligned Athleisure) who create products and donate a percentage of sales back to ECB, providing a recurring revenue stream tied to product sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Egyptian Clothing Bank collects, sorts, repairs, recycles, transforms, and upcycles donated clothing and textile waste through 162 workshops across 14 Egyptian governorates, redistributing garments and household items to underprivileged families, children, and youth. It operates targeted donation campaigns (Winter, Schools, Gaza Relief, Cancer Suits, Newlyweds, Eid, Young Athletes, Family Winter Boxes), an Almah charity retail store selling upcycled apparel, and women-empowerment vocational training in garment manufacturing and textile recycling.

Product overview

The Egyptian Clothing Bank is a zero-waste nonprofit organization founded in 2012 that functions as a unified charitable platform built around clothing redistribution, textile recycling, and community empowerment. Its core offering is the clothing bank itself — collecting, sorting, repairing, and redistributing donated garments — supplemented by the Almah charity retail store (sub-brand selling vintage and upcycled items to fund operations), the Women Empowerment Workshops (162 vocational workshops training women in sewing and recycling to produce clothing and recycled products), and multiple targeted donation campaigns (Schools Campaign, Support Gaza, Winter Campaign, Family Winter Box, Cancer Suit, Young Athletes, Newlyweds, Eid Campaign, and Relief Convoys). The organization operates across 14 Egyptian governorates and holds the Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Award for Best Charitable Performance in the Arab World.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Almah (ألما): A social enterprise/charity store that repurposes excess resources from the Egyptian Clothing Bank. It sells vintage, up-cycled, and recycled clothing items, with all profits directed to fund Egyptian Clothing Bank's production lines and cover beneficiary needs. Opened in January 2024 in downtown Cairo.

Products and services

• Egyptian Clothing Bank Core Clothing Bank Program Core charitable program that collects donated clothing and textile waste, processes it through 162 workshops across 14 Egyptian governorates, and redistributes garments to underprivileged families, children, students, brides, the elderly, people with disabilities, and disaster victims.
• Almah Charity Store Physical retail store in downtown Cairo selling vintage, upcycled, and recycled clothing items; all profits are directed to the Egyptian Clothing Bank to fund beneficiary programs such as school bags and uniforms.
• Women Empowerment Workshops

Quantifiable outcome

• 753,000 damaged clothing pieces recycled into 40,000 quilts in 2023
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• B.TECHminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIn collaboration with B.TECH, ECB distributed 10,000 school bags to underprivileged students in Dakahlia, Beheira, and Menoufia governorates to reduce educational dropout rates.
• ArmaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerECB and Arma jointly dispatched a relief convoy to Palestinian families in Gaza facing humanitarian crisis, providing essential clothing and blankets.
• Al Ahli United BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerECB, in collaboration with Al Ahli United Bank and Dayra Foundation, launched the 'Mn Qomash' initiative to train 50 young women in creating recycled products, with training held at Nuqoush Foundation for Training and Arts from February to September 2024.
• Dayra FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDayra Foundation partnered with ECB and Al Ahli United Bank under the 'Mn Qomash' project to train 50 young women in recycled product creation, supporting women empowerment and sustainable fashion.
• Attijariwafa BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerECB partnered with Attijariwafa Bank and Cocoon Cultural Centre for the 'From Waste to Good Taste' initiative, training 80 fashion designers in recycling workshops at Duwar Association for Arts and Development in Ezbet Khairallah over three months.
• Cocoon Cultural CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCocoon Cultural Centre collaborates with ECB and Attijariwafa Bank on the 'From Waste to Good Taste' sustainable design initiative, providing workshops on textile recycling, glass recycling, paper recycling, leather transformation, and fashion creation.
• TideminorGTM or Marketing PartnerECB and Tide collaborated to wash and clean over 50,000 pieces of clothing and distribute new Eid clothing kits to 4,000 orphaned children, demonstrating corporate social responsibility and community engagement.
• IKEAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerECB and IKEA partnered to recycle IKEA employee uniforms, transforming them into bags and gloves distributed to underprivileged individuals, reducing textile waste and promoting reuse.
• Aligned AthleisureminorGTM or Marketing PartnerECB partnered with Aligned Athleisure to create upcycled bags from ECB materials, with a revenue-sharing model where a percentage of bag sales is donated back to ECB to support underprivileged children and families.
• WE OrganizationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerECB and WE Organization distributed new Eid clothing kits to over 4,000 orphaned children, bringing joy and dignity during the festive celebration.
• Waste2Fashion Consortium (MedWaves, CEDARE, Museo del Tessuto, Next Technology Tecnotessile, FTTH, FabricAID)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECB is a core partner in the Waste2Fashion transnational consortium, which includes MedWaves (UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre), CEDARE, Museo del Tessuto (Italy), Next Technology Tecnotessile (Italy), FTTH (Tunisia), and FabricAID (Lebanon). ECB hosts the Egyptian pilot hub for post-consumer textile waste management and contributes to eco-design training and circular acceleration activities.
• Omar Marmoush (Egyptian National Football Team Player)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerECB partnered with Egyptian national team player Captain Omar Marmoush to sponsor the 'Encourage Football in Egypt' campaign, distributing 24,000 sports shoes and athletic wear to young athletes at youth centers across all Egyptian governorates.
• Almah (ECB Social Enterprise)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlmah is ECB's social enterprise (opened January 2024 in downtown Cairo) that sells vintage, upcycled, and recycled clothing. All profits fund ECB's production lines and cover beneficiary needs not met by in-kind donations.
• VeryNileminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerECB partners with VeryNile to collect plastic bags and bottles from donors and redirect them for recycling, supporting women artisans at VeryNile workshops and promoting circular waste solutions beyond textiles.
• Carbon Offset Certification (COC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerECB partnered with Carbon Offset Certification to promote a sustainable, zero-waste model for Egypt's fashion industry, impacting 2 million families through reduced fabric waste, decreased carbon emissions, and minimized soil pollution.
• Nuqoush Foundation for Training and ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNuqoush Foundation provides the venue for the 'Mn Qomash' training workshops where 50 young women learn recycled product creation skills from ECB trainers.
• Duwar Association for Arts and DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuwar Association for Arts and Development in Ezbet Khairallah hosts the 'From Waste to Good Taste' training workshops for 80 fashion designers.

Scale indicators19 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Renewal Workshop: US-based textile recycling and renewal company that sorts, repairs, and upcycles clothing from brands and retailers. Comparable to ECB's damaged-textile processing and Almah upcycled retail model.
• TRAID: UK charity running clothes collection points and second-hand retail to fund development and environmental programs. Strong operational analog to ECB's collection boxes, retail store (Almah), and beneficiary-funded model.
• Traid: UK charity that collects unwanted clothing for reuse and recycling while funding global development projects. Direct operational analog to ECB's donation collection boxes, sorting, and redistribution model.
• Redress: Hong Kong-based NGO focused on reducing textile waste through design, education, and circular fashion initiatives. Closely comparable mission to ECB around textile waste reduction, though focused on design rather than grassroots distribution.
• FabScrap: US non-profit that recycles and reuses fashion industry fabric waste through collection, sorting, and resale. Directly comparable to ECB's workshop-based sorting and recycling infrastructure.
• FabricAID: Lebanon-based social enterprise that collects used clothing and resells at affordable prices, and is a named partner of ECB in the EU Waste2Fashion consortium. Operates the same donation/sort/recycle/redistribute model across the MENA region with similar beneficiary segments.
• VeryNile: Egyptian circular economy social enterprise focused on cleaning the Nile and recycling plastic; named ECB partner. Comparable mission, geographic footprint, and workshop-based women's employment model, though focused on plastics rather than textiles.

Broad incumbents

• Soex: Germany-based global textile recycling company operating at industrial scale. Comparable end-to-end textile sorting and recycling activities but as a large commercial incumbent rather than a charity model.
• Patagonia: US apparel brand with deep commitment to circular textile initiatives, repair, and resale programs (Worn Wear). Broader incumbent in sustainable fashion with overlapping values around reuse, recycling, and consumer awareness.
• H&M Foundation: Non-profit arm of H&M that funds global textile recycling innovation, including partnerships with I:CO and textile-to-textile recycling ventures. Operates in the same circular textile funding space ECB is entering via Waste2Fashion.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/egyclothingbank

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Egyptian Clothing Bank