Geolocators are used by Greenpeace to show little modify of donated clothing.

A sizable percentage of donated clothing does not receive” a minute life,” according to the environmental organization Greenpeace. They used gps products on 29 garments that were deposited in Zara and Mango stores as examples, as well as metropolitan containers. The majority of these things have traveled thousands of kilometers, but their potential is still questionable.

Just one product’s utilize has been confirmed after four months of monitoring donated clothing, which was bought from a second-hand shop in Romania. This action by Greenpeace takes place on Black Friday, a day when retailers offer steep discounts to encourage large-scale acquisitions and highlight the problem of wastage of clothing and footwear.

Regarding the remaining things, some are still on the road and have n’t arrived at their final sites despite traveling great distances, making it to places like Chile, Pakistan, India, or Togo. Others are either just anonymous or are kept in warehouses on industrial estates in Spain.

11 regions are being tracked.

In July and August, clothing and footwear that could be reused were fitted with location equipment. Afterwards, these items were placed in containers throughout 11 Spanish provinces, both in open spaces and inside Zara and Mango stores, two retail chains that collaborated with companies like Caritas.

According to Greenpeace’s findings, a major discovery showed that the same entities manage both Zara and Mango. In order to facilitate re-exportation, they placed clothing from both methods in the United Arab Emirates, which, like Pakistan, has foreign cotton reception facilities in free areas.

The economic firm noted that other clothing could be found in Africa, particularly in Egypt, Togo, and Morocco. The European Environment Agency estimates that 46 % of used textiles exported from the European Union end up in African nations, with 60 % being sold again and the remaining 40 % being thrown away, frequently into the environment.

Despite numerous location changes, roughly half of the defined items have yet to leave Spain, according to Greenpeace. This is because there is a four-month deadline for thorough checking of each item’s final place, which can be seen on the company website.

Greenpeace also found an “irregular circuits” for managing textile waste during their investigation, avoiding municipal-approved control.

System shift is required.

According to Greenpeace, the study emphasizes the urgent need to fundamentally alter the way that clothing is produced and consumed, avoiding flimsy fixes or short-term fixes that would stall this move.

As required for clothing brands starting in 2025, efficient managing of used clothes to stop it from becoming an escalating environmental and social concern calls for a major manufacturing reduction and an emphasis on garment durability and quality, according to Greenpeace.

Clarification of Mango and Inditex ( Zara )

Mango and Inditex clarified that they offer vessels in their businesses for customers to deposit clothing in partnership with non-profit organizations after the report was published. Based on their condition, these organizations type the deposited items for modify, recycling, or electronic co-generation.

The majority of the jute waste that is deposited in these containers is intended for modify, with a small amount still being sold used in Spain. According to Mango, the remainder is exported” after being classified for modify or reuse, in line with forthcoming European regulations prohibiting the trade of unordered textile waste.”

According to Inditex, the company that owns Zara, their agreements with these organizations expressly forbid diverting clothing to waste and specific export industry because doing so runs the risk of having a negative impact on those areas.

The largest cotton team in the world claimed that “over 60 % of the entire clothes are reused, either through gifts to those in need or sold to fund social jobs.”