Collecting used clothing in the Bay Area and making it available for reuse and recycling affects many more people than what would be obvious on the first glance. Campus California uses the surplus from the sale of collected items to support programs fighting poverty, but today we would like to tell you more about the journey of the clothing after it’s deposited into a donation box.
The used clothing industry generates sustainable jobs every step of the way. Campus California permanently employs 26 people. Sorting centers and graders buy the materials form us and separate them based on the future use. Nice, wearable clothing is sold in American thrift stores or exported, and the worn out fabrics is turned into many different products by the recyclers. Wiping rags, insulation and soundproofing materials or even reprocessing into new fabrics are only a few examples of what is being done with our discards. Tens of thousands of workers are employed across USA in this industry, with the growth potential only limited by the availability of collected materials.
A portion of the clothing collected in the US is exported into various developing countries, the majority going to Sub-Saharan Africa. In these countries often times the used clothing imports had a profound impact on the lives of many people. It is estimated that millions of people make their living off of transporting, altering and trading used clothing in Sub-Saharan Africa. Following are a few stories of real people:
Olumide Abimbola, Nigeria (source: www.betterplace.org)
Many people often think that the only reason Africans buy second-hand clothing is because of poverty. This is actually not true. As a university student in Nigeria, I remember that many students who want designer labels would normally buy from second-hand clothing shops. There, they are sure that they are buying “original”… In fact, someone told me that the fact that they (the clothes) have been used and are still in very good shape proves their quality.
Interviews with second hand clothing traders at Kamwala Market, Lusaka, Zambia (source: www.itglwf.org):
A 55 year old trader says she started selling second hand clothing in 1997: “…after my husband died I did not know how I would survive, I started selling ‘salaula’ (used clothing) and fed my children, put them through school, now they are all grown up, how else was I going to survive without salaula.”
Lack of jobs and the need to provide for their families were the two reasons why people get into the trade.
One trader said: “…there are no jobs; our young people don’t even bother to look for one anymore when they finish school”. All the traders say that their living conditions have improved as a result of their business. Another trader says, “everyone buys second hand clothes even the white people come to the market to buy these clothes. These clothes help us to provide for our families…”
We wanted to bring you these stories to show that what you choose to do with clothing and shoes you no longer want or need will have an impact on the lives of people all over the world. It gives jobs and opportunities to people here in the USA and all over the world.
The used clothing industry generates sustainable jobs every step of the way. Campus California permanently employs 26 people. Sorting centers and graders buy the materials form us and separate them based on the future use. Nice, wearable clothing is sold in American thrift stores or exported, and the worn out fabrics is turned into many different products by the recyclers. Wiping rags, insulation and soundproofing materials or even reprocessing into new fabrics are only a few examples of what is being done with our discards. Tens of thousands of workers are employed across USA in this industry, with the growth potential only limited by the availability of collected materials.
A portion of the clothing collected in the US is exported into various developing countries, the majority going to Sub-Saharan Africa. In these countries often times the used clothing imports had a profound impact on the lives of many people. It is estimated that millions of people make their living off of transporting, altering and trading used clothing in Sub-Saharan Africa. Following are a few stories of real people:
Olumide Abimbola, Nigeria (source: www.betterplace.org)
Many people often think that the only reason Africans buy second-hand clothing is because of poverty. This is actually not true. As a university student in Nigeria, I remember that many students who want designer labels would normally buy from second-hand clothing shops. There, they are sure that they are buying “original”… In fact, someone told me that the fact that they (the clothes) have been used and are still in very good shape proves their quality.
Interviews with second hand clothing traders at Kamwala Market, Lusaka, Zambia (source: www.itglwf.org):
A 55 year old trader says she started selling second hand clothing in 1997: “…after my husband died I did not know how I would survive, I started selling ‘salaula’ (used clothing) and fed my children, put them through school, now they are all grown up, how else was I going to survive without salaula.”
Lack of jobs and the need to provide for their families were the two reasons why people get into the trade.
One trader said: “…there are no jobs; our young people don’t even bother to look for one anymore when they finish school”. All the traders say that their living conditions have improved as a result of their business. Another trader says, “everyone buys second hand clothes even the white people come to the market to buy these clothes. These clothes help us to provide for our families…”
We wanted to bring you these stories to show that what you choose to do with clothing and shoes you no longer want or need will have an impact on the lives of people all over the world. It gives jobs and opportunities to people here in the USA and all over the world.