Episode Details

In this practical and inspiring episode of Straight Talking Sustainability, host Emma Burlow sits down with Cathy Benwell, co-founder of A Good Thing, a Community Interest Company (CIC) that has created a matchmaking platform connecting 1,000 UK businesses donating surplus items with 3,500 charities and non-profits desperate for exactly those materials, from construction supplies and hotel bedding to branded merchandise and the occasional life-size inflatable elephant.

Starting in February 2020 with just 10 businesses and 15 charities, this volunteer-powered organisation (45 volunteers supporting one part-time paid operations manager) has grown explosively by solving a problem everyone recognises but few have systematically addressed: businesses drowning in perfectly good stuff they no longer need, charities surrounded by wealthy organisations yet struggling to access basic supplies, and the frustrating reality that what people do naturally at home through Freecycle or Facebook Marketplace somehow becomes impossible once they walk into their workplace.

Cathy's background spans publishing (graduate training scheme with a book company), government communications as a civil servant, then a transformative maternity leave involvement with HomeStart (UK-wide charity supporting families with young children) that ignited passion for charities whilst revealing the massive opportunity to connect them with businesses possessing surplus resources.

Cathy's HomeStart colleagues worked on laptops taking 10 minutes just to boot up (literally making tea whilst waiting), yet at Squared Up, software developers routinely received new laptops every three years with old ones accumulating in cupboards because nobody had time, knowledge, or job responsibility to handle disposal.

Cathy delivered Squared Up laptops to HomeStart within a week, creating transformative impact on colleagues' working days, but this only happened because she and Richard had that personal connection. They identified this as fundamentally wrong: opportunities should not depend on who you know or circumstantial connections, echoing wider societal movements towards evening playing fields and widening access.

This represented a revelation for Cathy, who initially expected branding to be a barrier, but typically it is bland (banks, insurance companies) and actually provides excellent publicity when food bank parcels get distributed in branded bags.

Regular items include massive furniture volumes, tech (laptops, tablets, printers, landline phones surprisingly popular), and stationery that took Cathy by surprise. Envelopes, boxes of biros, post-it notes, pads all get snapped up in seconds despite seeming relatively low value, because they accumulate in office cupboards (especially post-pandemic when people are not in offices as much) and charities genuinely need them.

Emma recalls encouraging "stationery amnesties" during waste audits where everyone empties drawers and pockets, revealing half a ton of squirrelled supplies that make new ordering unnecessary, but placing orders is faster than spending half an hour searching cupboards when budget exists.

Charities and non-profits (including CICs and community benefit societies, carefully vetted before joining) currently exclude schools, universities, NHS organisations, and local councils, though this remains under review based on business feedback.

Businesses appreciate knowing charities are carefully checked and verified, providing peace of mind that recipients are definitely good causes. Cathy acknowledges other platforms like WarpIt (Dan's work with universities and NHS) serve different pathways, preferring to create structures that work well rather than accommodating everyone in everything.

The Measurement Debate and Qualitative Magic:

Emma asks about volume and impact measurement, revealing Cathy's contr