Party Kit Network’s 2025 Impact Report: Celebrating Without Waste

Celebrating reuse on a global scale

The Party Kit Network Impact Report 2025 marks another milestone in our mission to make waste-free celebrations the norm. This year, our community helped people across the world celebrate sustainably - from children’s birthdays to street parties, PTA fundraisers and family gatherings.

Together, we've:

• Avoided 315,959 single-use items in the past year alone

• Welcomed 74 new members from seven countries

• Reached 618 party kits on our global map

• Seen reuse celebrated on Channel 5, The Irish Times, and The Guardian Australia

That’s over 1.3 million disposable items saved since we started counting in 2020. We are proof that local actions create global impact.

Beyond the numbers

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

When someone borrows a party kit instead of buying disposable tableware, they’re doing more than just reducing waste. They’re connecting with their community, supporting a local initiative, and rethinking what it means to celebrate sustainably. Each small decision creates a ripple effect that reaches far beyond the party itself.

Community connection Borrowing and returning a party kit brings neighbours together, creating small but meaningful interactions that strengthen local ties. For many members, their kits have become a conversation starter. Its a simple way to talk about sustainability and share ideas for low-waste living.

Inspiration and awareness Every reusable cup or plate used at a party helps normalise reuse, showing guests that sustainability doesn’t have to be a compromise. Time and again, people tell us that after borrowing a kit once, they can’t imagine going back to disposables.

Confidence in action Running a party kit is empowering. Many of our members have said that starting a kit has boosted their confidence, introduced them to like-minded people, and opened doors to new opportunities in their communities. What starts as a simple way to lend out some plates often grows into something much bigger.

These are the stories behind the statistics: families finding joy in reuse, volunteers building community spirit, and councils showing what’s possible when they back local action. They’re proof that the impact of shared celebrations can’t always be measured in numbers, but it can certainly be felt.

A look at our finances

Transparency and impact go hand in hand, and this year we’re proud to show just how far your support goes. In 2024–25, the Party Kit Network generated just under £2,800 in income and spent around £2,600, keeping costs low thanks to the dedication of our volunteer team.

Our main sources of income included Party Kit Winchester, our first small grant from Winchester City Council, donations, and a few speaking and retail activities. Most of what we spent went straight back into strengthening the Network. We invested in equipment, software, and materials to support our members and community projects.

We’ve achieved a huge amount with very little, but we know that to grow our impact, we need to build financial resilience. Securing long-term funding will help us expand our resources, reach new audiences, and continue supporting communities around the world to celebrate without waste.

What’s next

As the Party Kit Network looks ahead to 2026, our focus remains on growing this joyful movement for reuse.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen how powerful local action can be. Every borrowed plate, every conversation at a handover, and every new kit launched has helped to shift the culture around celebration and waste. Now, we want to build on that momentum.

In the year ahead, we’ll be expanding the support we offer to our members, developing new tools, resources and opportunities to help them reach even more people in their communities. We know that awareness is key, so we’ll be focusing on helping members get out into schools, community centres and local events, showing just how easy it is to celebrate without single-use waste.

We’ll also keep championing reuse more widely: speaking at events, collaborating with partners, and sharing stories that show sustainability can be joyful, not a compromise. By amplifying the voices of our members, we can inspire even more people to join in, whether by borrowing, lending, or starting a kit of their own.

Behind the scenes, we’re working to build stronger financial foundations for the network. Up until now, everything we’ve achieved has been powered almost entirely by volunteers. It is an incredible testament to the passion within our community. But to keep growing, we need to strengthen our resources. That’s why we’ll be exploring new funding streams.

Our aim is simple: to create a sustainable future not just for our planet, but for the Party Kit Network itself. With your support, we can keep the movement growing, ensuring that every community has easy access to reusable tableware, and that single-use becomes the exception rather than the norm.

💚 Read the full Impact Report: Download the report (PDF)