The Sozialdienst katholischer Frauen e.V. Langenfeld (SkF) is a nonprofit association committed to supporting socially disadvantaged individuals in Langenfeld. SkF Langenfeld ARBEIT+INTEGRATION is a nonprofit company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of SkF e.V. Langenfeld.

They offer advice and assistance to families, single parents with children, as well as men and women in difficult life situations, regardless of gender or religion. SkF Langenfeld was founded in 1976 by five dedicated women who volunteered to improve the lives of people facing challenging circumstances. The volunteer board still upholds this founding mission, ensuring that people remain the focus, just as they were back then. In 2012, the board decided to separate employment promotion into a nonprofit company. With its purpose-driven initiatives, ProDonna® and GlanzLeistung, the gGmbH ideally complements the association’s other offerings.

In 1980, voluntary work began receiving support from professional staff. These two pillars have formed the strong basis of SkF’s work, growing continuously over the years. Currently, around 140 volunteers actively support the 77 full-time employees at both SkF e.V. and SkF Langenfeld ARBEIT+INTEGRATION gGmbH. The areas of homelessness assistance, youth and family support, guardianship, and employment promotion provide a wide range of services for people seeking help. All services are interdenominational, non-partisan, and free from religious or gender discrimination. They aim to act as sustainably and resource-efficiently as possible. As a provider of independent welfare services, they are part of a strong regional and national network.

The mission of gGmbH is to provide close support to the long-term unemployed and prepare them for entry into the job market. They work closely with job centers. Long-term unemployed individuals gain a daily routine in areas such as tailoring workshops, the ProDonna® secondhand store, or the food bank. Supported by social workers, psychologists, and specialized trainers, they acquire or regain the confidence and skills needed to overcome employment barriers. This makes a significant contribution to social and economic value creation. Purpose-driven operations like SkF Langenfeld ARBEIT+INTEGRATION gGmbH are non-profit and rely on public funding, which is unfortunately dwindling, as well as on paid and volunteer staff to keep operations running smoothly.

Unlike large corporations operating clothing donation bins, donations to SkF Langenfeld directly benefit the local community. Donated clothing is processed by the long-term unemployed and people in crisis, supporting social integration and employment promotion. People with low incomes, pensioners, and families in difficult situations particularly benefit from this offering. A range of items are sold at fair prices, providing direct support to those in need. ProDonna® is open to everyone, with all proceeds supporting charitable purposes. Additionally, customers with family or social passes receive further discounts.

Unsalable or unusable clothing is not simply discarded. Instead, materials like metal, plastic, and textiles are sorted and recycled by certified textile disposers. Clothing that cannot be sold is used for training purposes in tailoring workshops or disassembled into components like buttons, zippers, and belt buckles for other projects. ProDonna® only collaborates with certified partners to ensure that non-usable materials are recycled sustainably and don’t end up in foreign landfills.

Upcycling is highly valued in SkF Langenfeld’s tailoring workshop, where old clothing is transformed into new, creative products. Bags made from jeans or leather and items crafted from tarpaulins are especially popular. These unique upcycled pieces are sold under the Einzigware label, both locally and online at www.einzigware.de. In addition to upcycling, fashion repair and tailoring alterations are also important. High-quality clothing is repaired or tailored to customer specifications to extend its lifespan. Garments unsuitable for sale are also used as training materials, allowing long-term unemployed individuals to develop their craftsmanship.

Einzigware® is a label for sustainable products made in social enterprises by people who currently have no opportunities in the job market. SkF Langenfeld ARBEIT+INTEGRATION gGmbH is a founding member of Einzigware®. The focus is on upcycling, meaning old or unused clothing and materials are creatively repurposed and reused. Einzigware aims to conserve resources, promote environmentally conscious decisions, and take on social responsibility. The brand offers not only creative, unique items but also new perspectives and opportunities for the people involved in the project.

ProDonna® places great emphasis on reusing as many materials as possible to maximize recycling. Old textiles, for example, are repurposed into shopping bags that customers can buy instead of plastic ones. Through targeted actions and public awareness in the field of upcycling, customers receive creative suggestions for continuing to use their favorite pieces, fostering awareness of sustainable consumption. The goal is to reduce CO₂ and create a textile life cycle with minimal waste, reflecting the ideal of a circular economy, where every product is either reused or sustainably disposed of.

Instead of casually discarding clothes in donation bins, people should consider donating consciously to social organizations like SkF Langenfeld, where clothing is repurposed and directly benefits those in need. Through shopping and donations, consumers also support feminist values, as SkF actively promotes women in the job market and advocates for equality in leadership roles. The organization initiates and participates in projects aimed specifically at empowering and supporting women.

SkF Langenfeld ARBEIT+INTEGRATION gGmbH joined the Repair Rebels network to promote sustainability in everyday life. Through this partnership, they aim to show that repairing rather than discarding is an easy way to conserve resources and protect the environment. This perfectly aligns with their mission to help families and individuals live more consciously. Their motto, “social-ecological-creative,” and their focus on environmental protection, climate protection, regional connections, sustainable resource promotion for people and materials, and sustainable consumption remain at the forefront.