Sustainable cooperation across the Baltic Sea

friend to friend, or Sobral Sobrale as they are called in Estonian, is just like Erikshjälpen is a broad-based organization. Through social work focused on areas in Estonia where the state's social safety net is not sufficient, they want to give children and families a safeare life and better living conditions.

The head office is located in Tarttu, but Friend to friends activities are scattered in different parts of Estonia. The activities range from humanitarian emergency assistance, to summer camps ffor children or support for single parents. The main purpose of the second-hand activities is to raise money for the work for the children and then plays organization's 15 stores play an important role.

- "We have been working with Erikshjälpen Second Hand since 2007," says Henri Lehtsaar, Executive Director of Friend to Friend. Our stores have also created jobs for over 100 people. Today, we are one of the best-known second-hand chains in Estonia and we have a well-established cooperation with both churches and authorities.

The story of Erikshjälpen's relationship with Friend to Friend in Estonia began in a small way. It was a store manager in Sweden who had a contact in the organization. They started the cooperation by sending what they could not sell in their store, but which was in great need on the other side of the Baltic Sea.

- "It's a 20-year partnership that started at the grassroots level and then grew organically," says Henri Lehtsaar. "Our organisations share the same values and goals on how we can best help people in Estonia.

Initially, it was only a few stores, but now 36 of Erikshjälpen Second Hand's stores in Sweden donate goods to Friend to Friend. In 2023, 322 containers were sent across the Baltic Sea with a total of 17,994 cubic meters of goods from Erikshjälpen's stores. Sales revenue from goods sent from Sweden amounted to just over 26 million Swedish Swedish kronor (SEK) last year.

- There is a container at each store where goods are continuously loaded. When the container is full, it is sent off to Estonia," says Martin Borgvall, Logistics Manager at Erikshjälpen Second Hand. "Friend to friend sends feedback on what they need and we also have general guidelines on what types of goods do not sell in Estonia.

Once there, the goods are distributed to the various shops, depending on what they want and need. Friend to friend has stores in Estonia's major cities, such as Tarttu and Tallinn, but has otherwise chosen to establish itself in communities where the social benefits are greatest.

- "It's not about places where you expect the biggest revenues," says Martin Borgvall. "Instead, it's where we know that people need to buy second-hand goods to cope with their everyday lives, for example in Narva on the border with Russia.

Of course, there are goods that cannot be sold in Estonia either, but only a small part of what Erikshjälpen sends is discarded. The goods that the customers of Sobralt Sobrale discard are sent to, for example, churches or other organisations.

In 2023, Martin Borgvall and some colleagues from Erikshjälpen Second Hand visited Erikshjälpen Second Hand Friend to Friend to see for themselves how the goods were handled. They were pleasantly surprised when it turned out that in principle everything is taken care of in a good way.

- It was good to see that we don't have to worry about things turning up in the wrong place. Now we can focus on building on our already good relationships, and see how we can even better adjust our shipments to suit the Estonian market.

Author

Lena Elf, Press officer Erikshjälpen