Goonj
Professional services
UnclaimedAn Indian nonprofit that uses surplus urban material, especially clothing, to support dignity, disaster relief, and community-led development.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile yet.
Overview
Goonj is an Indian nongovernmental organization headquartered in New Delhi. It works to reduce the social and material divide between urban and rural communities by treating underused household goods—particularly clothing—as resources for development rather than as charity or waste. The organization combines material collection, sorting, repair, recycling, logistics, disaster response, menstrual-health support, and community-led infrastructure work across India. Founded in 1999 by Anshu Gupta with support from his wife and other associates, Goonj emerged from Gupta's observation that clothing was an overlooked basic need. Its model developed around the idea that a lack of adequate clothing can affect health, dignity, education, mobility, and participation in society, even though the issue receives less attention than food or shelter. Goonj therefore frames donated materials as a form of development capital and seeks to involve recipient communities in deciding how those materials should be used. The organization collects usable clothing and other household items from individuals, schools, companies, and institutional partners in cities. Materials are then inspected, cleaned, repaired, repurposed, or distributed through local partners and community networks. Items may include clothing, footwear, household goods, books, toys, school supplies, furniture, utensils, and food-related materials. Material that is unsuitable for direct distribution can be converted into products for health, education, livelihood, or environmental purposes under initiatives such as Green By Goonj. Goonj's disaster-relief work has included responses to major floods, earthquakes, and other emergencies. Rather than relying only on packaged relief, it mobilizes locally relevant goods and works with communities to identify needs. Its development programs use material incentives to support collective labor on village infrastructure. Under Cloth for Work, later referred to as Dignity For Work, communities undertake projects such as cleaning ponds, repairing roads, digging wells, or improving schools, and receive useful materials in recognition of that work. The approach is intended to preserve agency and dignity while addressing practical local problems. The Not Just a Piece of Cloth campaign, developed after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, made menstrual health a central part of Goonj's work. Reusable or biodegradable cloth-based sanitary products, including MyPads, are prepared from suitable discarded textiles and distributed through community channels at low cost or through development programs. The initiative links menstrual hygiene with dignity, health, education, and women's participation in public life. Goonj also runs School to School, which connects urban students donating used educational supplies with children and schools in underserved communities. Its annual donation activity associated with Joy of Giving Week, later known as Daan Utsav, encourages households, offices, and schools to contribute underused goods. Corporate and institutional collaborations have included collection or exchange initiatives with Whirlpool, Pantaloons, Johnson's Baby India, Raymond, Oriflame India, and charitable trusts, according to published reference material. By the early 2020s, Goonj reported operating or supporting work across roughly two dozen Indian states and moving millions of kilograms of material through its network. It remains a nonprofit rather than a conventional apparel label: clothing is its principal operational tool, not the organization's commercial product category. Its positioning centers on dignity, circular use of resources, community participation, and the conversion of urban surplus into rural and humanitarian value.
History
Goonj was established in 1999 in New Delhi by Anshu Gupta. Its origins lay in Gupta's recognition that adequate clothing was an important but neglected requirement for people living in poverty. The organization began on a very small scale, reportedly with only a few dozen items of clothing, and gradually built a collection and distribution network linking urban donors with rural and low-income communities. From the outset, Goonj sought to distinguish its work from one-way charity. It treated clothing and other surplus materials as resources that could support local development, while emphasizing the dignity and participation of recipients. Donations are collected from households, schools, businesses, and other organizations, then sorted and processed. Usable items can be distributed directly; damaged textiles and other unsuitable goods can be repaired, recycled, or transformed into products for health, education, and community use. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was a major turning point. Goonj's Chennai operation received substantial quantities of used clothing during relief efforts. Rather than distributing all of it as ordinary clothing, the organization explored how waste textiles could address another overlooked need: menstrual hygiene. This work became Not Just a Piece of Cloth, through which cloth-based sanitary products were prepared and distributed to women in rural and low-income communities. The campaign later developed products known as MyPads and became one of Goonj's best-known examples of combining reuse, health, and dignity. Goonj also expanded into community-led infrastructure programs. Cloth for Work created a system in which communities identified and carried out local projects—including pond cleaning, well digging, road repair, and school improvement—and received material resources in return for their collective labor. The program was later referred to as Dignity For Work. Its underlying principle was that clothing, utensils, furniture, food grains, and related goods could function as a development currency when linked to work chosen and performed by communities themselves. School to School extended the model into education. Urban students contribute used school materials, which Goonj assembles into kits containing items such as bags, stationery, and uniforms. The program also uses educational activities to help urban children understand reuse and inequality, while supporting schools in underserved areas. Other collection initiatives connected Goonj with companies and charitable organizations, including campaigns involving Whirlpool, Pantaloons, Johnson's Baby India, Raymond, Oriflame India, and SNR and Sons Charitable Trust. Disaster response has remained another central area of work. Goonj has mobilized clothing, household goods, and other relief supplies for communities affected by events including the Uttarakhand floods in 2013, the Kashmir floods in 2014, and the Kerala floods in 2018. Its approach combines material distribution with local networks and community knowledge instead of treating relief as a purely centralized logistics exercise. Recognition followed as the organization expanded. Goonj's initiatives received innovation and development awards, including recognition associated with the World Bank Development Marketplace and Changemakers. In 2012, Anshu Gupta was recognized by the Schwab Foundation as India's Social Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2015, he received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for his work with Goonj. By March 2021, published descriptions stated that Goonj's work had reached 25 Indian states and that its network had transported more than six million kilograms of material. Through Green By Goonj, unusable cloth and other urban discards are converted into new resources for urban and rural communities. Goonj continues to operate as a nonprofit focused on humanitarian aid, circular material use, menstrual health, education, and community-led development. It should not be classified as a conventional apparel company: clothing is the central medium of its social model rather than a standard retail product line.
- 2021
Published reach expands to 25 states
[1]Reference material states that, by March 2021, Goonj had reached 25 Indian states and moved more than six million kilograms of material.
- 2015
Ramon Magsaysay Award
[1]Anshu Gupta receives the Ramon Magsaysay Award for his social work through Goonj.
- 2012
Founder receives social-entrepreneur recognition
[1]Anshu Gupta is named India's Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the Schwab Foundation.
- 2009
Goonj joins Joy of Giving Week
[1]The organization becomes involved in a nationwide annual donation drive later known as Daan Utsav.
- 2004
Not Just a Piece of Cloth emerges
[1]The organization develops a textile-based menstrual-health initiative during post-tsunami relief work in Chennai.
- 1999
Goonj is founded
[1]Anshu Gupta establishes Goonj in New Delhi to address clothing poverty and connect urban surplus with rural and low-income communities.
Products and positioning
A dignity-centered nonprofit and circular-resource organization that converts underused urban materials into community development, health, education, and disaster-relief resources.
Menstrual-health product · 2004
MyPads
MyPads are cloth-based menstrual pads made from suitable textile material collected through Goonj's reuse network. They are designed for use in rural and low-income communities and are associated with the Not Just a Piece of Cloth initiative. The product model emphasizes affordability, menstrual dignity, reuse, and reduced dependence on disposable commercial sanitary products.
Humanitarian-aid kit · 2004
Dignity Kits
Dignity Kits combine repurposed or donated materials for practical humanitarian and personal needs. The best-known application emerged from Goonj's menstrual-health work, where cleaned cloth was converted into sanitary products and packed for distribution through community networks. Kit contents can vary according to the emergency or local program.
Education-support materials
School Kits
School kits assembled through School to School may include bags, stationery, uniforms, pencils, and other learning materials collected from urban schools and households. The program pairs material redistribution with educational activities intended to encourage children to understand recycling, inequality, and responsible use of resources.
Upcycled textile and household products
Green By Goonj products
Green By Goonj converts cloth and other materials that are unsuitable for direct distribution into usable resources. The resulting products and materials support community programs and help keep urban discards out of the waste stream. Specific products vary by material availability and project requirements.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018Kerala flood relief
India
Goonj collected and moved relief supplies from donors across India for people affected by the Kerala floods.
- 2016Look Good Do Good
India
Raymond's trouser-exchange program encouraged customers to give old trousers to Goonj while receiving tailoring services connected with a new pair.
Outcome. The collected trousers were intended for distribution to people in need.
- 2014Rahat Floods
India
The organization conducted relief work for communities affected by flooding in Kashmir.
- 2013Share the Language of Love
India
Johnson's Baby India and Goonj collected children's clothing, toys, books, and related goods.
- 2013Flood Overcome
India
Goonj organized relief activity and material mobilization for communities affected by the Uttarakhand floods.
- 2011Joy of Exchange
India
Pantaloons and Goonj used collection boxes at Pantaloons offices to gather clothing for redistribution.
- 2010Ek Jodi Kapda
India
Goonj and Whirlpool opened collection channels for donated clothing.
- 2009Joy of Giving Week / Daan Utsav
India
A nationwide collection campaign encourages people in cities, schools, and workplaces to donate usable clothing and other underused goods.
Outcome. The activity became an annual donation mechanism associated with India's Daan Utsav festival.
- 2004Not Just a Piece of Cloth
India
Goonj uses discarded but suitable cloth to create affordable menstrual-health products and connect textile reuse with dignity, health, and women's participation.
Outcome. The campaign became a major Goonj initiative and was associated with international development and innovation awards.
Brand decisions
2004
Developing cloth-based menstrual-health productsProduct launchBackground
Large volumes of donated clothing received during tsunami relief revealed an opportunity to address menstrual hygiene using suitable surplus textiles.
Action taken
Goonj created the Not Just a Piece of Cloth program and began producing and distributing cloth sanitary products.
Aftermath
The initiative became one of the organization's signature programs and later included MyPads and dignity kits.
- Rename Cloth for Work as Dignity For WorkStrategy
Background
Goonj's community infrastructure program used material resources as an incentive for locally selected and collectively completed development work.
Action taken
The initiative was subsequently referred to as Dignity For Work, reinforcing its emphasis on agency and dignity rather than payment alone.
Aftermath
The program continued to support projects such as pond cleaning, road repair, well digging, and school improvement.
Recent events
Reported
BHIM Payments App partners with Goonj for Meethi Diwali[3]
BHIM Payments App partnered with Goonj for its Meethi Diwali campaign, through which BHIM will contribute toward school kits for children in need of learning support based on user transactions.
Reported
GiveIndia launches mission to support families affected by COVID-19[4]
GiveIndia launched a mission in India to support families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including providing economic support and protection against the virus. Its #IndiaAgainstCoronaVirus initiative would provide hygiene kits to underprivileged families and support hospital frontline workers.
Sources4 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/goonj · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled