2025: A year of ripples, connections and shared celebrations

At Party Kit Network, we often talk about our vision: a world where every community has easy and affordable access to reusable tableware. A world where single‑use is no longer the default, but the exception. And where communities have rediscovered the joy of sharing.

2025 felt like a year where that vision showed up in many different ways - sometimes loudly, sometimes quietly - but always through our members and wider community. What follows is a reflection on how the year unfolded, and how those moments moved us closer to the world we’re working towards.

Growing a movement that feels human

At its heart, the Party Kit Network is about people choosing to do things differently, together. This year, that sense of community continued to grow.

Across multiple countries, our map now holds 618 pins, each representing access to a party kit in a local community. Together, our members have kept over 1.3 million single‑use items out of landfill since 2020. Those numbers matter. But what matters just as much is what sits behind them: neighbours borrowing from neighbours, conversations sparked at school gates, and celebrations that show reuse can be joyful, normal and easy.

In 2025, the network stretched further across the globe. We celebrated our 30th member in the US, and our first members in Qatar, India and Mexico. Each new pin represents a community taking ownership of reuse in a way that works for them.

Curious what’s already happening near you? You can find a local party kit on our map.

Strengthening the network from the inside

As the network grows, so does the importance of supporting the people who make it work.

This year we welcomed two new board members, Filiz Taylan Yuzak and Natalia Celemin, bringing fresh perspectives and valuable experience to help guide the network forward.

We continued to invest in member support and connection, shaped directly by feedback from the annual audit. One clear theme was the challenge of getting kits used. Social media helps, but again and again members told us that real success comes from local relationships.

In response, board member Natalia created a new practical resource focused on building connections with local organisations - packed with ideas for partnerships and offline visibility. Alongside this, we added new posters and updated guides to the members area, helping kit owners feel more confident, visible and connected in their communities.

We also celebrated the achievements of our members at our second Party Kit Network Member Awards, recognising 60 members for their outstanding efforts to drive meaningful change in sustainability and community action. See the full list of winners

Sharing stories that travel further than we can

One of our objectives this year was to share powerful stories that demonstrate impact and 2025 reminded us just how far those stories can travel.

Party kits and the people behind them featured across local, national and international media, including:

• The Irish Times - Next time you are organising a party, why not borrow a party kit?

• CNN, highlighting reuse during Plastic Free July, thanks to Rebecca from Plastic Free July

• The Good Growth Guide, sharing the story of how a kitchen-table idea grew into a global movement

Behind the headlines were many more local stories, supported through the Local Storytelling Exchange, helping members share their impact in their own communities.

We also continued to tell member stories on our own blog, from new joiners like Joely, to long‑time members like Dayna, and the growing number of council-run schemes such as Brimbank City Council (Australia) and the City of Santa Cruz (USA).

Showing up in the right rooms

2025 was a year of conversations - in community halls, conference spaces, festivals and online.

Members of the network shared the story of party kits at events including:

• the Better Business Summit in Manchester, where Party Kit Network CIC was shortlisted for the Better Business Pioneer Award

• Sustainability Victoria’s schools event

• the UK’s first Plastic Free Gathering in Birmingham

• Upstream’s Reuse Solutions Network (US-based)

• and many local fairs and community events

We also delivered the first in-person Party Like a Planet Saver workshops with the support of South West Girlguiding. So far, these workshops have reached 70 people, helping more adults rethink celebrations and events without spoiling the fun.

These moments weren’t about scale for its own sake. They were about making reuse visible, relatable and achievable, and connecting party kits to wider conversations about waste, sharing and the circular economy.

Collaborations that shift the narrative

Collaborations played a vital role in helping shift how people think about celebrations, consumption and reuse.

Our long‑standing relationship with Plastic Free July continued to grow. Erin spoke at a Plastic Free July event for local councils and, together with Terrie from Dig & Bee Party Kits, took part in Dirtgirlworld’s livestreamed Reuse Picnic, celebrating 15 years of Plastic Free July. This brought party kits into a space loved by families across Australia. (For those outside Australia, Dirtgirlworld is a much‑loved preschool TV show — making it the perfect place to show that reuse can be fun, colourful and completely normal.)

We were proud to support The Kids Party Pact by No Crap Parties, tackling gifting culture at children’s parties and reducing the social awkwardness around saying “no gifts”. Even better, founder Charlotte set up her own party kit and joined the network - a great example of how ideas can quickly turn into action.

Alongside this, two core partnerships helped the story of party kits travel further and faster.

Support from Upstream has been instrumental in growing the number of members in the US. Through participation in their Reuse Solutions Network and conversations on The Indisposable Podcast, party kits have been positioned as a practical, community‑led reuse solution within a much wider movement.

We were also proud to work with Carbon Copy as part of their 25 Big Local Actions campaign. Guest-hosting an episode of their Borrow Don’t Buy podcast created space to talk about party kits as part of a broader shift towards sharing and the circular economy.

Together, these collaborations reinforced a simple but powerful message: reuse works best when it’s visible, shared and supported.

Learning to notice the ripple effects

One of the biggest lessons of 2025 was learning to really see the ripple effects of party kits.

Not every impact can be counted. While our data shows the number of single‑use items saved, quieter changes are happening too - the kind that don’t fit neatly into a chart but matter just as much.

Borrowing a party kit is rarely just about plates and cups. It’s about:

• community connection - neighbours meeting through borrowing and returning kits

• confidence in action - members finding their voice and their people

• inspiration - showing that sustainability can be joyful, not a compromise

Alone, party kits won’t solve our waste problem. But together, they make reuse visible. They normalise sharing. And they give people a place to start.

Being honest about the challenges

Not everything went smoothly this year. There were unsuccessful funding applications and pitches, and we haven’t yet made as much progress on financial resilience as we’d hoped. The network is still heavily reliant on people working for free.

We’re deeply grateful to everyone who donates their time and expertise - our board members, Erin, those who supported us through projects like Matchable, and our members, many of whom run party kits on a voluntary basis.

👉 Read our Impact Report 2024-25

Looking ahead

2025 strengthened our belief that this work matters - and that it works best when it’s shared.

If you’re reading this and wondering how to be part of it:

• Looking for a party kit?  Find one near you:👉 https://www.partykitnetwork.org/find

• Want to start something locally?  Download our free guide:👉 https://www.partykitnetwork.org/start

• Able to support the network financially?  Donations help build long‑term resilience:👉 https://www.partykitnetwork.org/donate

• Interested in partnering with us?  We’d love to talk:👉 https://www.partykitnetwork.org/contact-us

Thank you to every member, supporter, partner and borrower who made 2025 a year of ripples. We can’t wait to see how those ripples grow in the year ahead.