The hidden global journey of discarded clothing: how Europe outsources its textile problem

What happens to the clothing that consumers throw into textile recycling bins? A large-scale investigation into the export of discarded textiles from Scandinavia reveals a highly complex trade network. Clothing travels through European sorting centers to secondhand markets in Africa and Asia, but often no one knows what ultimately happens to those clothes.

Eastern Europe as hub

A Norwegian winter coat that ends up in West Africa via Lithuania and Belgium. A Danish sweater that travels from a Polish sorting center to a secondhand market in Nigeria. These are not exceptional scenarios, according to research by sustainability consultants Eunomia and Mepex.