Executive Summary

The common narrative suggests that much of the world’s used clothing ends up in landfills. However, this oversimplified view overlooks the complex, often positive, journey of secondhand textiles. This white paper presents a data-driven examination of the global secondhand clothing trade, highlights the systems that enable reuse and recycling, and offers case studies from Africa, Latin America, and Asia. It emphasizes the role of secondhand businesses in reducing waste and advancing the circular economy.

1. Introduction: Debunking the Landfill Myth

Media portrayals often suggest that donated clothes are predominantly discarded or dumped in developing nations. While poor-quality donations and logistical inefficiencies can cause waste, research from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and WRAP shows that significant volumes of used textiles are actively repurposed or resold globally. According to the Global Fashion Agenda (2023), approximately 73% of globally collected secondhand clothes are reused or recycled, not discarded.

2. Global Flow of Secondhand Clothing

a. Export Destinations

Secondhand clothing travels through complex international networks. Data from UN Comtrade shows that:

• The United States, Canada, Germany, and the UK are top exporters.
• Pakistan, Ghana, Kenya, Chile, and India are major importers.

b. Reuse and Repurposing

Once in recipient countries, clothing is sorted by local businesses:

• Sellable items enter local resale markets.
• Unsellable items are upcycled or repurposed as industrial cloths or mattress stuffing.

In East Africa, for example, 60-80% of the population wears secondhand clothing (Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya).

3. Case Studies: Secondhand Success Stories

a. Kantamanto Market, Accra, Ghana

One of the largest secondhand clothing hubs in West Africa, Kantamanto employs over 30,000 people and repurposes millions of garments weekly. Initiatives like The OR Foundation support tailors and upcyclers working to reuse unsellable textiles.

b. Iquique Free Trade Zone, Chile

Chile imports over 59,000 tons of used clothing annually (Reuters, 2022). Local resale markets and recycling companies sort and resell clothes across Latin America, with some organizations developing recycling solutions for textile waste in the Atacama Desert.

c. Panipat, India

Panipat is known for its wool recycling industry. It receives worn textiles from the West, which are shredded and re-spun into yarn. These are then used to make affordable blankets and garments for domestic and international use.

4. Environmental and Economic Impacts

a. Waste Reduction

According to WRAP, extending the life of clothing by an extra 9 months reduces carbon, water, and waste footprints by 20-30%.

b. Job Creation

The secondhand economy sustains millions of jobs:

• Tailors, sorters, transporters, and sellers in developing nations.
• Warehouse and logistics workers in exporting countries.

c. Circular Economy Alignment

Organizations like SMART and the European Recycling Industries’ Confederation (EuRIC) advocate for secondhand as a key part of circular strategies. Their research indicates that textile reuse has the lowest environmental impact compared to recycling and landfilling.

5. Challenges and Recommendations

Challenges:

• Overconsumption leading to oversupply.
• Limited infrastructure for local textile recycling.
• Regulatory pressures (e.g., import bans in East Africa).

Recommendations:

• Improve donation sorting at source to reduce unusable items.
• Invest in local upcycling and recycling infrastructure.
• Educate consumers and governments on the true lifecycle of clothes.

Conclusion

Secondhand clothing doesn’t end up in a landfill by default. With a robust network of global actors, it is often reused, resold, or recycled, supporting livelihoods and environmental goals. Rather than discarding or banning the trade, investing in its optimization can amplify its role in the circular economy.