Donating old clothes is not the end point, but a resource circulation chain running in parallel with sorting, recycling, and export.

Key Points

  • Donated old clothes first enter recycling stations for sorting, classified by whether they can be worn again; wearable donated clothing is cleaned, disinfected, packaged, and sent to recipient areas.
  • Clothing that cannot be worn again enters recycled fiber processing plants, where physical and chemical treatments such as opening and carding produce recycled fibers, polyester raw materials, recycled cotton canvas, and more.
  • The remaining old clothes are exported to impoverished and war-torn regions, achieving secondary resource distribution while driving employment and income.

As consumption attitudes change and the frequency of clothing purchases rises, the amount of discarded old clothes grows in tandem, and donating old clothes has become a charitable way for many people to participate. But how these clothes are actually used needs to be broken down segment by segment along the recycling chain.

The first stop is the recycling station. Staff first conduct a preliminary inspection of the clothing to determine whether it still has usable value, then strictly sort and subdivide it into more specific subcategories. The first step is distinguishing wearable from non-wearable: clothing meeting donation standards is cleaned, disinfected, packaged, and sent to donation destinations; the rest is diverted to export or recycling channels; clothing that is severely damaged or has stains difficult to remove also enters the environmental processing flow and will not be casually discarded.

Old clothes that can no longer be worn enter the recycling stage. Recycled fiber processing plants reprocess them into new fiber materials for making new clothes, bedding, and other daily items. After cleaning and drying, physical and chemical methods such as opening and carding are used to generate recycled fibers, polyester raw materials, and recycled cotton canvas, which return to textile production. Old clothing made of nylon and polyester is sent to recycling factories, where accessories such as zippers and buttons are first removed, then crushed and processed into agricultural insulation materials, building and industrial soundproofing materials, filling materials, and non-woven fabrics.

Export is another main destination. Impoverished and war-torn regions still have a large demand for clothing. Old clothes export is essentially the secondary distribution and utilization of resources, which not only avoids wasting clothes that cannot be donated but also returns benefits to people and the environment. This process can also help more people find employment, increase income, and improve their lives, while also affecting China's textile industry and enhancing its international competitiveness.

In addition, old clothes that truly cannot be used again can also be recycled as waste, for example by turning discarded fabric into eco-friendly bags, toilet paper, and other items, balancing pollution reduction and resource conservation to maximize value.

Source: How Are Donated Old Clothes Used? · Originally published on 2023-09-21