Unpacking the global supply chain of secondhand clothes — and its sustainability paradox.
You’ve done the “right thing.”
You cleared out your closet. Sorted your old clothes. Bagged them neatly. Dropped them off at a local charity shop or collection bin. You walked away feeling lighter — and greener.
But have you ever asked:
What actually happens to my donated clothes?
The answer is far more complex — and global — than most people realize.
🌍 A Journey You Didn’t See Coming
Only a small fraction of donated clothes end up on the racks of local thrift stores. In countries like the U.S., UK, and parts of Europe, less than 20% of clothing donations are resold locally.
So where do the rest go?
🔄 They enter the global secondhand trade — a vast, multi-billion-dollar industry that ships used clothes across borders, often to countries in the Global South.
From Europe to East Africa.
From the U.S. to West Africa.
From the UK to South Asia.
Clothing is sorted, graded, bundled, and sold in bulk to commercial buyers who then distribute them in local street markets.
📦 The Economics of Used Clothes
In cities like Kampala, Accra, Nairobi, Lagos, and Dhaka, bustling secondhand markets — known as mitumba, bend-down boutiques, or okrika — are filled with imported clothing.
This trade has created:
âś… Jobs for market vendors, tailors, and transporters
âś… Affordable clothing for low-income communities
âś… A cultural fashion economy based on reuse and creativity
But it has also caused:
❌ Collapse of local textile industries
❌ Dependency on foreign “waste”
❌ Landfills overflowing with low-quality “fast fashion” rejects
❌ Health and environmental risks from clothing made with toxic dyes or synthetic materials
♻️ The Sustainability Paradox
On the surface, donating clothes feels sustainable. It diverts waste from landfills and gives garments a second life.
But here’s the paradox:
Our “goodwill” has become someone else’s burden.
Much of what is shipped to developing countries is not reusable. Poor-quality fast fashion items — overproduced and underused — often arrive in unwearable condition.
Local markets can’t sell them.
Waste infrastructure can’t handle them.
And so they pile up — in dumpsites, rivers, and oceans.
In Ghana, nearly 15 million items of used clothing arrive every week. Up to 40% are deemed worthless and discarded.
In Kenya, discarded garments clog waterways or are burned, releasing toxic fumes.
In Nigeria, vast markets in Lagos absorb truckloads daily — but also generate tons of textile waste.
🧵 Who’s Responsible?
This isn’t just a Global South issue. It’s a Global North problem exported.
Brands overproduce.
Consumers overconsume.
Waste is outsourced under the guise of “donation.”
And the fashion industry, which produces over 100 billion garments a year, rarely pays for what happens after checkout.
🛠️ What Can Be Done?
1. Slow Down Fast Fashion
- Support policies that hold brands accountable for their environmental impact
- Push for extended producer responsibility (EPR) in the fashion industry
2. Rethink Donation Systems
- Improve sorting and transparency
- Invest in local recycling infrastructure where clothes are sold
- Educate consumers: If it’s not good enough to gift a friend, don’t donate it.
3. Support Local Textile Economies
- Encourage domestic upcycling, tailoring, and sustainable fashion brands
- Amplify African and Asian designers creating value from secondhand fashion
4. Tell the Full Story
- Let’s stop seeing donation as the end of the cycle — and start seeing it as a global system with winners and losers.
🧠The Way Forward
At SustainabilityUnscripted, we believe fashion should not be extractive — from the moment fabric is made to the moment it’s thrown away.
A truly sustainable fashion system is circular, equitable, and just — across continents.
Donating clothes can be part of the solution.
But only if we acknowledge the system behind it — and act to change it.
