When is a T-shirt waste? How global textile flows can be redrawn by the Basel Convention

As regulators move to tighten controls on global textile waste, the recycling and reuse industry is pushing back. At the centre of the dispute is a deceptively simple question with far-reaching consequences: when does a used garment become waste, and when is it still a product?

The Basel Convention and the classification of used textiles

The Basel Convention, the UN’s cornerstone agreement governing transboundary movements of hazardous and other waste, is once again becoming a flashpoint in the regulation of used textiles and textile waste.

In January, the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR), representing more than 30,000 recycling companies worldwide, submitted formal comments to the Basel Secretariat as part of its consultation on the classification of used textiles and textile waste. The message was clear: current classifications risk undermining legitimate reuse and recycling markets.

Industry pushback against Basel code B3030

At issue is Basel code B3030, which governs the international classification of “used textiles”. According to BIR, the code no longer reflects how the sector actually operates. Instead of a single category, the organisation argues that regulators should formally recognise three distinct streams: unsorted used textiles, textiles sorted for recycling, and textiles sorted for reuse.

“Failing to distinguish between waste and goods risks disrupting functioning global reuse systems,” BIR warned in its submission, calling on the Secretariat to align regulatory language with on-the-ground practices.

Reuse markets, trade flows and the risk of regulatory bottlenecks

The distinction is far from merely technical. For reuse operators, exporters and importing countries alike, how textiles are classified determines whether shipments move freely, face administrative hurdles, or are blocked altogether. For many markets in Africa, Asia and Latin America, second-hand clothing is both a major source of affordable apparel and a significant employer.

Environmental groups, meanwhile, have long warned that exports can externalise waste problems to the Global South. The Basel process is now trying to navigate between those concerns and the practical realities of reuse markets that already exist. The second-hand sector has many times pointed out that narratives about exported textile waste from the Global North are highly exaggerated.

What is clothes waste and when is it reusable? Women att a sorting center in Turkey sorting second-hand clothes.

Implications for EU textile EPR and separate collection

The debate also directly intersects with European textile policy. As the EU rolls out extended producer responsibility schemes for textiles and prepares mandatory separate collection across member states, downstream outlets for collected garments are becoming a critical bottleneck. If reuse exports are increasingly treated as waste, collection systems risk backing up precisely at the point where garments are intended to leave Europe.

Industry groups argue that this would be counterproductive to circular economy goals. “Global reuse and recycling infrastructures are essential to advancing textile circularity,” BIR stated, cautioning against rules that conflate low-value waste with reusable goods.

With further guidance and potential revisions expected, the outcome of the Basel discussions could reshape textile trade routes, affect EPR economics in Europe, and determine whether reuse is treated as a solution or a liability in global regulation.

For the textile sector, the question is no longer whether regulation is coming, but whether it will recognise the difference between disposal and circular trade.