What is Really Happening to the Clothes I Donate?
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Many of us donate our unwanted clothes to charity bins or thrift stores, believing we are helping those in need and reducing waste. If you donate damaged clothes, the charity shop will probably not re-sell them in your country.
Have you ever wondered what happens to your donated clothes?
While some garments find new homes locally, a significant portion is shipped overseas—especially to African countries—where it enters a complex and often problematic secondhand clothing trade. Recent data reveals that approximately 70% of the world’s donated clothing ends up in African countries, with Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania being major importers. greenchoicelifestyle.com
Charities and textile recyclers send millions of tonnes of used clothing to Africa each year, flooding local markets with cheap secondhand garments. And they don’t get it for free!
African markets
In African markets, secondhand clothing is sold in bales, with prices varying based on quality, weight, and the specific market. For instance, wholesalers may purchase mixed apparel bales weighing around 45 kilograms (100 pounds) at prices ranging from US$465 to US$480 per bale. usedshoe.en.made-in-china.com
Retailers then sell individual items from these bales to consumers. In Kenya, for example, approximately 91.5% of households purchase secondhand clothing, often priced at or below Ksh 1,000 (around US$9) per item. voguebusiness.com
It’s important to note that the quality of clothing within these bales can vary significantly. Traders often face challenges due to the unpredictability of the contents, with a substantial portion of the garments being unsellable because of damage or poor quality. This unpredictability can impact market sellers’ profitability and contribute to environmental concerns related to textile waste.
Local Textile Industry
While this trade provides affordable clothing for many, it also raises serious concerns. The influx of used Western clothing has devastated local textile industries, leading to job losses and economic dependence on foreign goods. Additionally, the sheer volume of clothing donations often exceeds demand, resulting in massive textile waste, with unsold clothes piling up in landfills or polluting waterways.
Environmental Issues
In Ghana’s capital, Accra, the Kantamanto Market—one of the world’s largest secondhand clothing hubs—receives about 15 million used garments weekly. greenpeace.org
Alarmingly, nearly 50% of these items are deemed unsellable due to poor quality or damage, leading to significant environmental challenges as these textiles often accumulate in landfills or are incinerated, releasing harmful pollutants.
The situation is further exacerbated by incidents like the devastating fire on January 2, 2025, which destroyed approximately 60% of Kantamanto Market and affected around 8,000 traders and their livelihoods. This tragedy highlights the precarious nature of relying on the secondhand clothing trade. It underscores the need for more sustainable and responsible practices in managing textile waste.
These statistics and events underscore the complex and often detrimental impact of the global secondhand clothing trade on African nations, prompting a critical evaluation of our consumption and donation habits.
This raises an important question:
Are our donations truly helping or are they creating new problems elsewhere?
Understanding the lifecycle of our discarded clothes is essential for making more responsible choices, from donating mindfully to embracing a more sustainable approach to fashion. Let’s look deeper at what happens to the clothes we no longer wear—and what we can do to create a genuinely regenerative and just system.
Australian Statistics – Hard Facts
In Australia, several charities and organisations manage donated clothing, with a portion of these items being exported overseas, including to African countries. This practice arises from the overwhelming volume of donations and the limited capacity of local markets to absorb all secondhand clothing. Export Statistics: Approximately 33% of donated clothing in Australia is exported overseas. ragtrader.com.au
Charity Operations: Major Australian charities, such as The Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul Society, and The Smith Family, often sell unsold donated clothing to textile merchants. These merchants then export the clothing to African, Asian, and Pacific countries. This process helps charities manage excess donations and generate funds for their community programs. sustainablysorted.com
Environmental and Economic Impact: While exporting secondhand clothing provides affordable apparel in recipient countries, it can also lead to ecological challenges and impact local textile industries. For instance, in Ghana, a significant portion of imported used clothing is of low quality, leading to increased textile waste and environmental pollution.abc.net.au
It’s important to note that not all donated clothing is exported; a significant portion is sold locally, repurposed, or recycled within Australia. However, the export of secondhand clothing remains a notable aspect of the lifecycle of donated garments in the country.
WATCH: Dead white man’s clothes
It’s the dirty secret behind the world’s fashion addiction. Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfills, creating an environmental catastrophe on the other side of the world.
What can I do with my damaged clothing?
Shifting the mindset is the first step to ensuring that we are all held accountable. We now have the ability to harness what would have once been deemed waste, as a valuable resource. Upparel
Buy less! Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!
Take responsibility for your footprint. When it is time to donate separate damaged clothing, send it to Upparel.
Upparel is revolutionising textile recovery in Australia and New Zealand, ensuring that no recoverable fabric ends up in landfills. Instead of discarding damaged clothing, they sort, repurpose, and recycle materials into new, sustainable products, eliminating the need for virgin synthetic fibers. By transforming waste into valuable resources, Upparel is closing the loop on fashion waste and driving a circular economy.
