Our second-hand clothes collection contributes to sustainability and circularity in textiles. It does this through reducing waste, saving precious resources through reuse, providing affordable clothing to people in the North and in the South – and it ultimately enables us to undertake invaluable development work.
The second-hand clothes sector fills an important role in the globalised textile value chain and the global circular economy.
The second-hand clothes sector fills an important role in the globalised textile value chain and the global circular economy. By collecting, sorting and selling used clothes, first for reuse directly with the next person and then for recycling into other products, the sector saves the planet from millions of tonnes of CO2-emissions, fresh-water use, chemicals, and all the other polluting elements of textile and garment production. It also saves the planet from millions of tonnes of textiles and clothes being disposed of in landfills or left for incineration.
The sector does so through businesses operating in a competitive market, be it as collectors, sorting centres and shops in the Global North, or in sorting centres, wholesale outlets or retail shops in the Global South.
By giving garments a longer lifespan through reuse, the sale of clothes for reuse responds to a demand for clothing which alternatively would either not be covered at all, or covered by imports of cheap, new clothes, mainly made from oil-based fabrics. This type of production increases the negative environmental impact.
For more than forty years we in the Humana People to People network have collected, sorted and sold second-hand clothes. Operated by not-for-profit organisations or by commercial businesses with charitable ends, a number of highly professional enterprises have been developed to meet the market demands, both in terms of operation and products.
“The second-hand clothes industry has had a huge impact on our communities.”
Through the collection and sale of second-hand clothes, our members achieve global impact.
$31.7 million USD generated for social development projects through second-hand clothes in 2023.
19.7 million customers given access to affordable, quality clothing in Africa and Central America in 2023.
6,400 green jobs created as direct employment in the second-hand clothes sector in the Humana People to People network in 2023. Our employees take good care of the collected clothes and make sure each item is put to the best possible use through reuse and recycling.
121,000 jobs created in the Humana People to People network in Africa and Central America in 2023. These jobs are in logistics, sorting and sales, in the formal and informal sector linked to trade and handling. Building business capacity through on-the-job training is a side effect of this job creation.
132,000 tonnes of clothes taken out of the waste stream as a great service to society. Green jobs were created in the process, and the collected clothes added to the circular economy in each country and across the continents.
805,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions saved in 2023.
Our shops, sorting centres and wholesale outlets are respectful and well-organised, ensuring the dignity of staff and customers, be it in the Global North or South.
People feel dignity and pride when they have access to good quality, affordable clothing and can choose the style of clothes they like. This supports the basic human right to clothing for millions of households in low-income countries.
Jobs and income created in the reuse business are fulfilling for the thousands of people directly employed and many millions more across the Global South who rely on selling clothes to their own customers.
Our customers in the Global South get support to build their business skills and knowledge. Thereby the reuse business helps to develop the local labour market. Finally, surplus derived from the reuse business funds 24.6% of the social development work operated in 16 countries by Humana People to People members, as described in this report.
Our collection, sorting and sales processes create an efficient circular textiles value chain.
18.9m people in Europe and the USA donated their unused clothes to collection points.
Up to
250 categories of clothes are sorted at the sorting centres for the highest level of reuse and to raise the most funds.
The clothes are then sold in a vintage shop in a European city, a thrift store in the USA, as wholesale bales in an African country, in a smart retail shop or in a seller’s stall at the market place.
More than
31.7m customers bought clothes for reuse throughout the network.
A comparison: 47% of the materials put into the textile and garment production chain from raw materials to garment comes out as waste, before the products reach the consumers.
"Textiles produce 8% of the world’s carbon emissions. It’s also the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply. Giving clothes a longer lifecycle can help offset some of this negative environmental impact.”
EU, September 2019
For Humana People to People, transparency is an integral part of the operation. We follow what happens with the clothes, and we document it. The clothes are followed from the point of collection, through sorting centres and further on to the next customer.
In collections and sorting centres everything is counted or weighed: how much is collected; how much waste was taken out; how much was sorted into which categories; how much was put into second-hand shops; how much was exported; and how much was put in stock.
The counting is the basis for voluntary system audits. Humana People to People entities use various audit and certification systems to document their activities, systems, and material streams. ISO certification, system audit by Bureau Veritas, Mepex Transparency Reporting and Global Reporting Initiative are some.
Finally, the procedures and the results are published. Co-operation partners and relevant authorities receive agreed reports.