Why donating your clothes isn’t as helpful as you think

You might feel good about donating your old clothes, but nobody actually needs them. Part of the problem is fast fashion. Experts say the solution is to stop buying.
SOURCES
Juliet B. Schor, Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth
Elizabeth Cline, Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion
comtrade.un.org/
www.levistrauss.com/sustainabi...
truecostmovie.com/
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[@Yuji_DeadEnd]

Rather than seeing stores that sell clothes, I'd love to see stores that offer alterations/modifications on your favorite shirt/jeans or shoes. This service type has not been marketed a lot but I think that world needs less waste and this will create jobs for designers, seamstress?

[@Donnah1979]

Make one? ;-)

[@sarapetkova3271]

...A tailor?

[@brazilbiba6671]

Workshops run by wealthy affluent people or charities, with the less fortunate could work in, teaching much needed skills to anyone who wants to learn.

[@fredrickaappletree3402]

Do it yourself

[@lindahandley5267]

Great idea.

[@soulcleaner3578]

People that know me always complain that my wardrobe never really changes and well why would it? If they fit me and still look decent why buy more clothing than i really need? Even when I fast I have a belt to make sure they still fit. It just makes sense to me.

[@dinobussanich3017]

Your too cheap to buy new clothes.😄

[@totaldramaedited679]

@@dinobussanich3017 Not really. It dosen't really matter in day to day life.

[@lindahandley5267]

Smart lady.

[@SSanf]

Wow. Talk about your first world problems. My friends and I always swap clothes. Why? Necessity! Never in my life have I gotten 70 new pieces of clothes in a year. Don't know anyone who has. The church I do some volunteer work for has a free clothing bank and they are far from over stocked. They give it away when people come for their free food basket. They always need men's clothes. It is one way homeless people can get something clean to wear. If you want your clothes reused, give it to a place that distributes it for free instead of those charities that resell it in stores. Schools often need some clothes on hand for kids who have accidents or seem in need of clothing. If you have good kids clothes, ask there first.

[@hhiippiittyy]

SSanf Maybe my pack of 12 socks I get every Christmas counts as 24?

[@STEPHENisSTEPHEN]

SSanf you must be a chick eh

[@user-ek2ht5oe9y]

I wish you can pick size 40 for me and send it to me am far away in another continent

[@victoriawatkins770]

Honestly as a family of five we mainly only buy new socks, underwear, and school uniforms. Which doesn't equalthat number. Mostly every other item is used.

[@CircumcisionIsChildAbuse]

i think you're missing the point of the video. They're not saying used clothing doesn't help families like your own, I buy used clothing too. They're saying the AMOUNT of donated clothing FAR exceeds the need/demand from families like yourself because people buy too much new clothing, donate the clothing and donation centers get over stocked and have to get rid of it. The demographic of you and I, who buy used clothing, is so trivial that there will never be enough of us to utilize the amount of donated clothing. That's like baking a cake every single day and eating only one piece every day. So they want people to bake less cakes so the people who want one piece will get one piece without having to throw out entire cakes.

[@victoriawatkins770]

CircumcisionIsChildAbuse Thank you for responding to my comment. My response wasn't intended to reflect my thoughts on the entire video. I was only responding to the "We each buy almost 70 new clothing garments every year.". You did make really great points and comparisons. The only part of your comment I didn't like was that you mentioned cake. Just so happens I've been trying to stay away from sweets. 😖

[@kikyoustorm]

It helps me. I love my thrift store. I can get new clothes or newish clothes for very little. sometimes blankets. I love getting nice looking business outfits. My thread-barren stuff gets thrown away. If i find something Real cheap and find out i dont wear it that often or i get a gift or something that i dont personally like or dont need, I give it to my thrift store. And what is bizzare to me is that tshirts and sweaters, is basically the stuff i have to throw away most often. It pills, holes show up, one time ripped apart and i have to go out every 2 years to get simple sweaters. Sometimes i buy clearance items at outlets that i cant get at the thrift store and i find that generally the thrift store i go to is cheaper with better quality items. My family needs the thrift store. I think people should just donate to thrift stores nearby or church functions instead of big box "thrift" places that burn the clothes!??? sounds bizzaro to me.

[@vanallen1666]

When i saw it in philippines that donation clothes are sold in stalls, I felt sad knowing that all of our donation back home went to nothing, I thought it was intended for charity.

[@psedineh3427]

Same thing happened to me when I was in Ghana. I was ashamed that I contributed in sending my trash for them to dispose of in their backyard. It definitely made me more conscious of my buying habits and I now buy only things I NEED.

[@TheMegangrace]

WHAT?! I buy, at MOST, 10 clothing items a year, for myself. Do people really shop that much?! Granted, my clothes aren't always in style but you can get away with vintage/classic looks no matter what the decade. A decent pair of boots can last years. 70 items?!!! I just keep everything I buy (in bins) and wait for it to come back in style. My 17 year old daughter loved my stuff from the 90's. I wore my mum's clothes from the 60's and 70's, back in the 90's. It's all still in my closet. 70 items a year! Wow.

[@CBCNews]

Socks, underwear, outwear (like gloves) are included as garments. The source on that is: Juliet B. Schor, Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth. ^it

[@TNinja0]

I'm sitting here with about 5 year old T-Shirts still in use. Meh.

[@Altereddandelion]

I was about to sleep and suddenly out of nowhere thought "What happens to clothes you donate". Thank you for this video haha

[@aaron___6014]

How did they come up with 70 new garments per person per year?

[@puravidadew7031]

Girls....buy too much clothing.

[@panzer_TZ]

I was thinking the same. Who the fuck is buying 70 garments a year? That sounds like a lot even for women.

[@mohamedmahmoud4045]

Aaron ___ they said garments so they probably included socks, underwear, gloves etc. which are generally pretty cheap and people buy a lot of

[@NicholasLittlejohn]

Many teens and wasteful people.

[@gi295]

I think they're counting a pair of socks as 2 pieces of clothing, that would account for 30-40 pieces

[@doitalldan5326]

Turn your used clothes into rags. If they're nice clothes in good shape, then donate them.

[@utoroabraham2338]

Why turning them to rags when their are people out there who needs them

[@flaccid6pancake]

@@utoroabraham2338 If they have a bunch of irreparable rips you're not gonna donate them are you?? 😭

[@takeoutbox2921]

I always cut up my old sweaters and make crafts out of it

[@randolpascano9613]

Buy less, buy the classics (never gets outdated) and take care of what you have.

[@jeffharbaugh8683]

The homeless needs winter clothes and clothes to get a job.

[@Starry_Night_Sky7455]

We shouldnt even let anyone go homeless. That is cruel. People need far more than mere clothes.

[@fbyi2940]

Yeh but what if the clothes is too small for them?

[@SatsMate]

The clothes the reporter was wearing looked really nice 😍

[@film1836]

Awesome series of reports on clothing & textiles! As a die hard clothes lover - I hang on to EVERYTHING!! I still have outfits from my childhood!! - i appreciate bringing this issue to light. Sadly because of fast fashion & mass consumption the idea of clothes swapping or hand me downs is no longer appealing - unless it becomes de rigueur & the masses will flip around!! Thank U once again CBC 🍁

[@Hispandinavian]

I got relatives in Central and South America. A huge percentage of my luggage space is bringing a bunch of older clothing for the relatives. Even an older back pack will go to a cousin's or neighbor's kid in need. It doesn't make me anymore righteous, but I like that I'm helping people closest to me in need. Sometimes I go to homeless shelters where people are literally in rags and no shoes.

[@sirthicenskoorb3684]

I watched the earlier story on this problem. I live in the US. Im sure US has the same problem. Yes people should buy less. I would call this stuff junk fashion. Most of it is poor quality and design. Most of it looks bad on people. I worked in retail and looked at a lot of poorly dressed people. Our taste has gone to the dogs. Stop buying this junk and put the money in the bank.

[@robbob6000]

i jsut got rid of my last sweater from high school. its been 8 years lol. Have had 3 pairs of jeans for 4 years and counting

[@brazilbiba6671]

The lockdown has taught me not to buy as much, my online shopping habit has been starved of oxygen and am making the best of the clothes I have.

[@KimAndrew70x7]

We give them to relatives in the province.

[@lara-ce2kg]

I am in America and I really enjoy watching market place.. U have change the way I look at the world.. And make me more aware of my actions and what's going on around me . Now, being aware of these issues you have made public. I'm trying to follow the valuable advice you give. Thank you Marketplace for your amazing investigations and very intriguing videos ..

[@BillFurlong]

This video may be very factually accurate, but not at all helpful with what to do when trying to purge large amounts of things from your house and actually help someone.

[@Itsnotanymore-ku7dz]

Exactly.

[@lindahandley5267]

I was brought to tears when I researched what happens to the clothing that I donate to Goodwill. I don't give things that are worn out, wrinkled or dirty. Some of my things still have the tags on them and the rest are in really good shape and weren't cheap in price. It's a shame if I can't wear them and I don't want to sell them online. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[@ShiningSakura]

I buy 10-20 pieces of clothing a year..... almost all of it used... just be careful with what I choose, good quality, fashion neutral, and make it last.

[@evam2351]

I'll uh... save my old clothes for my kids or give them to someone personally.

[@fieldsofgreen8857]

Two days ago I donated a good amount of dog food to a rehoming centre, also took three very large bags of clothes for their shop in Bromley, now that's the way to do it!!

[@NixScrapolla]

THREE new Goodwill resale shops have been built within 10 minutes from us in the last 3 years. So I'd say the donation business is booming!

[@NicholasLittlejohn]

Nix Scrapolla Goodwill is a bit of a scam, the CEO gets millions and workers pennies.

[@csp1977]

Many factories or manufacturing plants buy cleaning rags which come in as old shirts cut up into a few pieces. In a sense they are getting re-used but once they've been used for cleaning up then are thrown into the garbage. So eventually down the line most will end up in a landfill one way or another.

[@Tiger-zo2gn]

I don't buy a lot of clothes. The clothing bins in my area are full of bags of clothes. They even start piles outside the bin. I think many people "donate" because they don't want to pay for garbage tags.

[@zunair744]

Tiger1971 never thought about it that way

[@NicholasLittlejohn]

Outside piles are to ensure the clothes are free to passersby.

[@HistoricSteamTV]

A real reporter would get a job at a thrift shop and find out the facts, much of the donated 2nd clothes not the ones that go to store racks. The used clothing markets in developing countries create jobs and help societies much worse off than us which can be good. The real scam is that local real charities that collect and delivery the bagged clothes to thrift shop get $3-$4. for 20 pounds of stuff and that may include gold, silverware jewels that get skimmed off by the owners of said thrift shops. Mega $$$$$$$$ minimum wage workers.

[@lizzzarduh]

HistoricSteamTV That is not always true, this news station posted a more in depth video on this topic which reported how countries like South Africa don’t want our donated clothing anymore because it’s hurting their textile market, watch it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m524ZGWOg89rhq8

[@ctagamerboytv7842]

Very informative!

[@fantasyfiction101]

This is why I love shopping at places like Goodwill and such. So much cheaper and it's still new to me.

[@kierahuskarl]

Part of me feels manufacturers are at fault for using bad unrecyclable fabric blends. Cotton/elastane jeans never last as long as thick, robust pure cotton jeans yet I have a hard time finding cotton anywhere but thrift stores and resale shops.

[@rusty1470]

give them to value village or local salvation armys dont throw them in the garbage

[@LNelson882]

I get it you want to be in style all the time, or you go to your closet and think there is nothing here I don’t want to wear, or a party coming up and buy something for 1 night only or a child growing/adult gain or lose weight need something new to fit... can add up fast.. best solution is buy good staple pieces that will last a few seasons and will go with multi items in your wardrobe. Where ever you buy it from up to the person but to save agree with thrift stores or clothing swaps def best way.

[@NextProgrammer]

Those clothes will end up in poor countries. Here in the Philippines we call it "ukay-ukay" :-)

[@kingfatah7476]

..

[@vanallen1666]

When i saw it in philippines that donation clothes are sold in stalls, I felt sad knowing that all of our donation back home went to nothing, I thought it was intended for charity.

[@kuwait85]

Donate that pink sweater asap 😂

[@Paul-dw2cl]

aboot 70 new garments? oh, I’m watching CBC

[@stateofgrace__3102]

We should host a free swap. Kind of like a craft sale. everyone brings their unwanted clothes ,hangs it up and people just take what they want.. idk something like that?

[@psedineh3427]

I have friends in Denmark who have regular clothing swaps (as we all as books and all other household items too). They follow rules that you take only what you know you’ll use and if you don’t use it by a certain time, then you should return it in the next swap. I think this is a brilliant idea. I send my items to relatives in our home country. Every item gets used by someone until they literally disintegrate. People think I’m mad for paying money to ship there instead of donating in the US, but I know where “donations” end up.

[@99rylee]

They should be up cycled into new items

[@itsaleks6110]

I love your channel IS the best thing

[@aflat00n]

U better directly give clothes who really need them not in donation

[@nestorjrabalos1998]

I still wear clothes bought more than 5 years ago as they still look good. I usually wear old clothes except for those which are already out of fashion like those which I have bought like more than 10 years ago.

[@NicholasLittlejohn]

Boycott fast fashion like HM and mall junk. Buy quality clothes.

[@shellyslioneyes]

Not everyone can afford quality clothes. Will you buy me some since your so rich. I'm a disabled 49 yr old women who can no longer work.

[@princessmilk170]

I have a lot of clothes that I want to donate. How do I make sure it gets to people who actually needs them and not just thrown away or resold? For example, I have lots of winter clothing, formal attire, and regular t-shirts that would be great for people less fortunate than I am that don’t have and can’t afford winter clothing, an outfit to wear to job interviews, and just regular clothes to wear in general.

[@user-ek2ht5oe9y]

Am speaking for my self I live under $3 a day I won’t mind if you can send same clothes to me I wear size 40 pants 36 am 22years currently in Libya as a refugee

[@mikec.4343]

I'm happy to purchase used clothes (except under garments). I carry them home in my ten-year-old-paid-for car. After washing, I store in my $25 auction gallery dresser. The "shiny and new" lifestyle can be expensive.

[@stephaneabramowicz4658]

Not only buy less, but more importantly hold companies accountable to produce less. The burden of guilt must be distributed proportionately on the different actors of the system. H&M's share is heaps greater than the average person's.

[@USCG.Brennan]

I haven't bought a new piece of clothing in YEARS (except when my jeans wear out from use).....and if I do, I'll look at Goodwill or something like that. Many times I've found NEW clothing there or if I really like something there, I'll wash it at home and then wear it. Why pay full price when I can pay 1/3? And because I take good care of my clothes and haven't gained any weight in the past 30 years, I can wear the same clothes for YEARS. Lucky me...... ;-)

[@afl5983]

Make a video on this topic, if you can. Justify your reason. RECYCLING OR DONATING? WHICH ONE IS BETTER? JUSTIFY!

[@spookyliciouskittycat]

I have a lot of clothes I do not need, I tried to give them to second hand stores, but they weren't fashionable enough for them. What to do? Throwing away sounds like a waste. 🤷‍♀️

[@flaccid6pancake]

ok wow I'm 3 years late Hand down to family members, do a garage sale and if it's in bad condition ...you got yourself a new floor rag

[@Abkeda]

Because clothes are made out of cheap, shoddy materials now. Make quality product in classic styles and they will stand the test of time, and ones pocket.

[@seven-cjin3028]

I like this host and her wide shoulder! hahaha!

[@xxxtyphon4298]

In philippines we are buying the donated clothes in fact still expensive

[@ukrena]

I donate to friends when the size is the same if not i give to the charity in last case i donate to the recycling bins .

[@thelissoway6758]

Call around to shelters and find people who are truly in need and directly give it to them. You can make a difference with your clothes. And stop purchasing brand new

[@kuwait85]

This was a great piece 👍

[@Hispandinavian]

A lot of those clothing donations end up getting sold on the streets in Sub-Suharan Africa.

[@Zicologo]

Also, they should make it mandatory to manufacture garments in America rather than outsourcing. Clothing will be very expensive so people will sutomatically buy less and wear longer ;)

[@Soljarag5]

she is super cute!

[@Paul-pj5qu]

Ok, I will stop donating clothing... Did that help more?

[@justheretowatchthisdumpste7073]

wait do they really think 70 equals new clothing almost everyday? there are 365 days in a year, not like 100!

[@Starry_Night_Sky7455]

This video just points out that consumerism is beyond excessive! Imagine if you couldnt take anything to a landfill? Those landfills dont magically vanish.

[@NicholasLittlejohn]

Freebins are cool..just put your clothes in a box on the curb or establish a park box.

[@lizzzarduh]

Nicholas Littlejohn but it is important to know where those clothes are actually ending up, sold to a developing country, dumped and burned, sent to a landfill when you’re told they are being recycled, etc.

[@shellyslioneyes]

The bad part is I would wonder what was wrong with them. Why were they out there? Do they have bedbugs? If it seems to good to be true, it probably is. If a friend doesn't give them to me, I don't want them.

[@agneslaufer9579]

Project 333 is awesome also 5 piece french wardrobe. BUY LESS !

[@gaddamnagabhushanam7887]

Is there Lia foundation in AP, India

[@superteckmp]

Underground companies are making a killer filling sea containers and shipping the clothes overseas for 10-20k per containers.

[@Donnah1979]

And thus undermining local clothing production, where they ship those clothes...

[@gaddamnagabhushanam7887]

Any

[@LoLo-xv7ke]

This is wrong - you should not tell people not to donate. There are millions of people in the world who do need others old clothes. Do some research.

[@alexandriajorge2910]

Lo Lo is it really ok to donate clothes to orphanages? i want to donate clothes however this video confuses me

[@itsaaronlolz]

I like going to Tj Max and Ross, that way I can buy designer clothes for super cheap but then I make lots of waste.🤷🏽‍♂️

[@kesayo]

As long as I get the tax write off, I don't care what they do with it.

[@JulianHaldenby]

Bunz?

[@Yana-qq7yc]

I sell my clothes to my grandma and she sells it to her sister's store in Mexico- is that good because I'm giving it to family or bad because it's similar to giving it way to charity?

[@lizzzarduh]

YanaMartinez 7012 I think that is not bad, but not the best solution, but at least you are trying to help your family. Maybe the clothes could be given away to your grandma and her sister instead of sold for profit. But then if her store is the only means by which they are sustaining their livelihood, you are helping that cause so I think you should feel good about that

[@Azraell209]

I don't but shiz unless it rips n I go out n replace it.

[@aflat00n]

They sell donated clothes a price like new

[@sylwyu1]

hard to understand how we still have people in the world that don't have clothes to wear.

[@TheNjordy]

I'm sorry, but why... my donations are sold?! Until today I thought what stuff I donate goes to poor and homeless in need (for FREE)! I totally fine with making money from recycling, but not this.

[@shellyslioneyes]

What you need to do is take your donations straight to the rescue mission (or your local homeless shelter) or your local domestic women's shelter. Goodwill sells them.

[@NYCStateofMind7]

We live in a horrible and scary era of consumerism

[@careya]

I know women who shop for clothes weekly. It's their weekend entertainment.

[@701garage]

I have a warehouse that does these we recycle anything that does not meet quality standards which they go get shredded and used as rags and they good exist stuff goes over seas.

[@lizzzarduh]

chris hauge what is the company called that you work for?

[@edytagaviria248]

Where is the best idea to donate old own clothing to??

[@milox875]

We have the same exact situation here in Saudi Arabia but with Food and it all goes into dumpsters. charities are way overwhelmed.

[@krisbenjaminrandolph7865]

What was the point of this video? Buy less is not going to catch on. And a BBC and French video understood that because the clothes aren’t actually made to last. Clothes you buy today don’t actually have a long shelf life. And as someone on the comments pointed out the jacket the anchor wore looked awfully new - undercutting the point. There are sustainable clothing companies where the fibers break down or you can buy it made from re used fibers. But like everything good for you it’s more expensive. We need to work on this issue. Recycling your clothes is at the very least the best thing you can do for now. I don’t like that message cut for any reason.

[@Zicologo]

Pre-Covid reporting. Almost no one in America will eant to share each others clothing in 2022. Donating is actually a good solution, people in very poor countries DO need clothing.

[@kesayo]

The number 1 reason why poor countries stay poor is because all the stuff we give them causes their industries and shops to go bankrupt. We keep them dependent on us so they don't compete with us. If you really wanted to help, give up your high paying job to them instead of complaining every time a company outsources.

[@steverothmans5908]

70 garments a year?????? That cant be accurate..

[@cracticustibicen6374]

Who is buying enough clothes to make the average 70 items? Most normal people seem to buy a tiny fraction of that so some people must be buying hundreds of items per year to make an average of 70. That’s a disgusting waste. Even a growing baby or child doesn’t need many and adults can wear some of the same clothes for decades.

[@elie6769]

Don't buy too much clothes

[@solisarith7079]

I think i'm dumber now

[@duckpomegranate7710]

I NEVER DONATE MY CLOTHES!!!! when I do, I feel really guilty. I've only done that once and NEVER donated anything again. It's such a waste of money. At least sell your clothes. That way it's not wasting money.

[@roshnipaikira2627]

Hi ma'am ,, this is ROSHNI ,,I am working in orphanage service ,, for the happyness of children ,, can u give to them mam ,,, we stay at Bengaluru Karnataka

[@hello.8951]

Ok lm taking notes To never give my clothes to charity

[@lokilaufeyson3205]

I always give my clothes away to people who can use it in my neigbourhood

[@kimthomas8650]

buy less

[@kinky_Z]

70 garments a year? I haven't bought any clothes for 12 years so someone is buying my 70/yr. hmm...

[@ShesAaRebel]

H&M have a recycle program, and they accept clothes that are torn and no longer wearable.

[@INF1NI73]

KT kzbin.info/www/bejne/m524ZGWOg89rhq8 they did a story and talked about this.

[@andreanneabel3464]

I did a video about it let me know what you think :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJK4coV8j7SEo5o

[@NicholasLittlejohn]

They are also guilty of fast fashion.

[@Donnah1979]

Yes, they have. And they may reuse some of the fibres from that clothes. BUT I suspect this is mainly for the following purposes: 1) Getting your "old" clothes off of the streets - Ie. preventing people from recycling, so that they buy more NEW clothes (at H & M) 2) Fishing for Good-will

[@brazilbiba6671]

Makes sense but you do get bored with your clothes after a couple of years of rotation. They should just give them away to poor people over the world., as we believe they do when we donate. Why profiteer on this?

[@ArchiDL]

少买！

[@shamealhrobinson8906]

I do not donate clothes because I have seen charities throw clothes in the garbage. I give used clothes to people in need.

[@asifsiddique2582]

This donate clothes are veery high price saal in pakistan perches poor people.

[@MomAsol]

Buy less