A year-long Reuse News investigation examines the evidence behind textile waste export claims and how those claims are influencing global textile policy, trade and circular systems.
Reuse News investigated one of the central assumptions behind the textile waste debate: that someone profits from exporting waste through second hand trade channels. After more than a year of reporting, no documented business model could be identified.
How did disputed textile waste claims become embedded in international policy discussions? This investigation examines how a widely repeated narrative travelled from reports and media coverage into regulatory debates shaping the future of global textile reuse.
Claims that 40 percent of imported second-hand clothing becomes waste have shaped international debate and policy discussions. But traders, researchers and industry representatives question whether the economics behind the narrative make sense.
