A coalition of representatives from the global textiles collection, reuse, and recycling sectors — joined by policymakers and academic experts — has issued an open letter to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), raising serious concerns about the integrity, methodology, and practical implications of UNEP’s Circularity and Used Textile Trade Project.

The collection of clothes and textiles has quickly become a logistical and economic trial for many actors in Europe. Two of the largest operators in Germany have filed for insolvency, and collection organizations in Sweden are struggling to keep operations running. "It's a system on the brink of collapse," says Cristofer Ståhlgren and Lars Råsberg from Human Bridge, Sweden's largest collector of used clothes. "Is this really what they intended?" they ask. Human Bridge has agr

Is Europe dumping its clothing waste in African countries? The evidence says it's not. Instead the current reporting on textile waste points to a narrative that has misled journalists, politicians, environmental activists, and the public alike. But how could such a widespread misperception take root?

For several years Ghana has been labelled a dumping ground for Europe’s discarded clothing. But where are the mountains of second-hand garments? We couldn't find them.