Are 'Mountains' of Clothing Waste the New 'Height of Fashion?
2020-10-03
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1Sales of used clothing are part of fast fashion, but the industry is breaking down because of COVID-19 restrictions.
2Fast fashion is a term for the manufacture and marketing of clothing that often looks like popular fashion creations.
3But fast fashion goods are mass produced and sold at low prices.
4Fast fashion appeals to the many people who want to wear the latest styles from major designers but do not have enough money to buy them.
5The industry is worth about $35 billion a year.
6However, it depends on a complex process of used clothing sales.
7Clothing re-sale and recycling helps prevent the fashion industry's growing amount of waste from going directly to landfills.
8It can also help many people clear out old clothing and shoes from their homes to make room for next season's designs.
9But now, the system is facing a crisis.
10Exporters are struggling, as are traders and buyers.
11Many buyers are from poorer nations and depend on a continuous supply of used clothes.
12The signs are everywhere.
13From London to Los Angeles, many used clothing stores and clothing banks have been filling up with more clothing than could be sold.
14Mountains of clothes are building up in storage centers.
15Since the COVID-19 crisis began, clothing recyclers and exporters have had to cut prices as their supplies grew and health safety measures restricted movement and business.
16"We are reaching the point where our warehouses are completely full," Antonio de Carvalho wrote to a client in June.
17De Carvalho is the head of a clothing recycling company in Stourbridge, England.
18The client had requested a price cut for clothing he collects.
19De Carvalho pays towns for clothing collected in his containers then sells it to traders overseas.
20Since May, he says, he has had to cut the price for a ton of clothes from about $725 to about $515.
21He said that is making it hard for his company, Green World Recycling, to pay the costs of collecting and storing products.
22Buyers were also asking to increase the credit period before they had to pay from 15 days to 45 to 60 days, de Carvalho wrote.
23"We are losing ... a huge amount of money, making a big loss for the operation."
24De Carvalho's experience is shared across the industry, leading to expectations of a slow recovery even if the COVID-19 pandemic ends.
25Recycling businesses are already taking steps in hopes of saving money.
26Reuters spoke to officials of 16 such companies in Britain, Germany, The Netherlands, and the United States.
27The officials reported that they are removing containers for clothing donations from streets and reducing the number of times these clothing banks are emptied.
28They also are considering dismissing some employees.
29At the same time, donations have increased as many people stuck at home are clearing out old clothing.
30"This is unlike any other recession in a century," said Jackie King.
31She leads the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART), a U.S. trade group.
32"I would anticipate there will be companies going out of business," she said.
33Exports of used clothing have shrunk this year.
34In Britain, the weight of used clothing exported from March to July was around half what it was for the same period last year, official trade reports show.
35Exports improved in July - the latest month on record - as countries began to re-open, but were still down around 30 percent.
36In the United States, the value of exports from March to July fell 45 percent compared with the same period last year, government records show.
37Up to a third of clothes donated in the United States - the world's biggest exporter of used clothing - ends up for sale in markets in the developing world.
38The results of the drop in sales can be seen in some African countries.
39Kenya imported 176,000 tons of second-hand clothing in 2018.
40On a recent day, business was slow in Gikomba, an open-air market in Nairobi, the country's capital.
41Gikomba is one of the biggest used clothes markets in East Africa.
42Traders have been hit with an already shrinking supply, made even smaller by COVID-linked bans on clothing imports.
43And COVID restrictions and worries have meant more people are staying at home.
44"Before coronavirus came in, I would manage to sell at least 50 trousers a day," said trader Nicholas Mutisya, who also sells hats.
45"But now with coronavirus," he added, "even selling one a day has become difficult."
46The ban on textile imports ended in August.
47Yet the struggle continues for traders like Mutisya and Anthony Kang'ethe.
48He is a driver for a store selling used clothes shipped from Britain.
49Kang'ethe said the business had been hit hard by the supply crunch.
50"Before we used to have five workers in our company," he said.
51"We are left with two."
52Major trade in used clothing from Europe and the United States rose in the 1990s as demand for Western fashion increased in Africa and Eastern Europe.
53Such demand has provided badly needed help for a growing fashion market.
54Clothing production has increased 100 percent over the past 15 years, reports the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a British aid group.
55In March of 2019, the United Nations Environment Programme reported the fashion industry was the second-biggest industrial user of water.
56It also noted that fashion businesses are responsible for up to 10 percent of carbon releases worldwide, more than international flights and shipping combined.
57And old clothing represents a massive and growing amount of waste that ends up in landfills.
58The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says America produces just under 15.4 million tons of cloth waste a year.
59More than 65 percent of that waste goes to landfills.
60I'm Bryan Lynn.
61And I'm Caty Weaver.
1Sales of used clothing are part of fast fashion, but the industry is breaking down because of COVID-19 restrictions. 2Fast fashion is a term for the manufacture and marketing of clothing that often looks like popular fashion creations. But fast fashion goods are mass produced and sold at low prices. 3Fast fashion appeals to the many people who want to wear the latest styles from major designers but do not have enough money to buy them. The industry is worth about $35 billion a year. However, it depends on a complex process of used clothing sales. 4Clothing re-sale and recycling helps prevent the fashion industry's growing amount of waste from going directly to landfills. It can also help many people clear out old clothing and shoes from their homes to make room for next season's designs. 5But now, the system is facing a crisis. 6Exporters are struggling, as are traders and buyers. Many buyers are from poorer nations and depend on a continuous supply of used clothes. 7The signs are everywhere. 8From London to Los Angeles, many used clothing stores and clothing banks have been filling up with more clothing than could be sold. Mountains of clothes are building up in storage centers. 9Since the COVID-19 crisis began, clothing recyclers and exporters have had to cut prices as their supplies grew and health safety measures restricted movement and business. 10"We are reaching the point where our warehouses are completely full," Antonio de Carvalho wrote to a client in June. De Carvalho is the head of a clothing recycling company in Stourbridge, England. The client had requested a price cut for clothing he collects. 11De Carvalho pays towns for clothing collected in his containers then sells it to traders overseas. Since May, he says, he has had to cut the price for a ton of clothes from about $725 to about $515. He said that is making it hard for his company, Green World Recycling, to pay the costs of collecting and storing products. 12Buyers were also asking to increase the credit period before they had to pay from 15 days to 45 to 60 days, de Carvalho wrote. 13"We are losing ... a huge amount of money, making a big loss for the operation." 14'Going out of business' 15De Carvalho's experience is shared across the industry, leading to expectations of a slow recovery even if the COVID-19 pandemic ends. 16Recycling businesses are already taking steps in hopes of saving money. Reuters spoke to officials of 16 such companies in Britain, Germany, The Netherlands, and the United States. The officials reported that they are removing containers for clothing donations from streets and reducing the number of times these clothing banks are emptied. They also are considering dismissing some employees. 17At the same time, donations have increased as many people stuck at home are clearing out old clothing. 18"This is unlike any other recession in a century," said Jackie King. She leads the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART), a U.S. trade group. "I would anticipate there will be companies going out of business," she said. 19Exports of used clothing have shrunk this year. 20In Britain, the weight of used clothing exported from March to July was around half what it was for the same period last year, official trade reports show. Exports improved in July - the latest month on record - as countries began to re-open, but were still down around 30 percent. 21In the United States, the value of exports from March to July fell 45 percent compared with the same period last year, government records show. 22Up to a third of clothes donated in the United States - the world's biggest exporter of used clothing - ends up for sale in markets in the developing world. 23Kenyan troubles 24The results of the drop in sales can be seen in some African countries. 25Kenya imported 176,000 tons of second-hand clothing in 2018. 26On a recent day, business was slow in Gikomba, an open-air market in Nairobi, the country's capital. Gikomba is one of the biggest used clothes markets in East Africa. 27Traders have been hit with an already shrinking supply, made even smaller by COVID-linked bans on clothing imports. And COVID restrictions and worries have meant more people are staying at home. 28"Before coronavirus came in, I would manage to sell at least 50 trousers a day," said trader Nicholas Mutisya, who also sells hats. "But now with coronavirus," he added, "even selling one a day has become difficult." 29The ban on textile imports ended in August. Yet the struggle continues for traders like Mutisya and Anthony Kang'ethe. He is a driver for a store selling used clothes shipped from Britain. Kang'ethe said the business had been hit hard by the supply crunch. "Before we used to have five workers in our company," he said. "We are left with two." 30Fashion as an environmental enemy 31Major trade in used clothing from Europe and the United States rose in the 1990s as demand for Western fashion increased in Africa and Eastern Europe. 32Such demand has provided badly needed help for a growing fashion market. Clothing production has increased 100 percent over the past 15 years, reports the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a British aid group. 33In March of 2019, the United Nations Environment Programme reported the fashion industry was the second-biggest industrial user of water. It also noted that fashion businesses are responsible for up to 10 percent of carbon releases worldwide, more than international flights and shipping combined. 34And old clothing represents a massive and growing amount of waste that ends up in landfills. 35The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says America produces just under 15.4 million tons of cloth waste a year. More than 65 percent of that waste goes to landfills. 36I'm Bryan Lynn. 37And I'm Caty Weaver. 38The Reuters News Agency reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 39________________________________________________________________ 40Words in This Story 41fashion -n. the business of creating and selling clothes in new styles 42style -n. a particular form or design of something 43recycling -v. to make something new from (something that has been used before) 44client -n. a person who pays a professional person or organization for services 45anticipate -v. to think of something that will or might happen in the future 46manage -v. to have control of (something, such as a business, department, sports team, etc.) 47trousers -n. pants 48textile -n. the businesses that make textiles (cloth and clothing) 49We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.