After collection in China, used clothing enters a commercial chain and is not all charitable donation. In 2024, China exported about US$654 million worth of "worn clothing and other worn articles," weighing more than 1.14 million tonnes, with Kenya as the largest destination; for some large exporters, the share going to Africa can reach 60%. Public information from the textile industry says clothing that can still be sold accounts for about 35% of total collections.

Key points

  • In 2024, China's exports of "worn clothing and other worn articles" totaled about US$654 million, weighing more than 1.14 million tonnes
  • Among major destinations, Kenya ranks 1st, while Angola, Tanzania, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Ghana account for large shares
  • Public information from China's textile industry: used clothing that can still be sold accounts for about 35% of total collections

More than one channel lies behind collection bins
Once used clothing is put into a collection bin, where it goes is decided by the operator. Some bins belong to charitable projects, and the clothing is sorted, cleaned, and organized for targeted assistance; some are operated by renewable-resource companies and are commercial recycling; still others combine charity with resource utilization, with clothing suitable for donation going to charity and the rest entering reuse. The problem is that people depositing clothing rarely distinguish whether a bin says "caring donation" or "used-clothing recycling"—the former emphasizes unpaid charity, while the latter is closer to resource processing, and operators can earn income through sorting, reprocessing, domestic circulation, or export. According to public information, collected used clothing mainly flows into four categories: donation, export, domestic second-hand circulation, and resource utilization.

Sorting determines the destination, and African demand connects with China's summer-clothing supply
Recycling stations first do rough sorting, and sorting plants then subdivide by season, material, style, color, and condition. Summer clothing without obvious stains, without serious damage, and in styles suited to local demand more easily enters the second-wear market; items that are damaged, moldy, or no longer wearable can only be broken down into fiber or processed into machine wipes, insulation materials, or filling materials. Some parts of Africa have hot climates and stable demand for T-shirts, shirts, light jackets, dresses, and jeans; China has a large population and fast clothing turnover, so the collection end can concentrate a large supply of summer clothing. After reaching the destination, bales of clothing are bought by wholesalers and resold to retailers, who open the bales and price each item according to condition, style, and brand, selling the best items first at higher prices and gradually discounting the rest. Industry insiders point out that 60% going to Africa reflects more the order structure of certain large exporters, not the same proportion for every collection bin or every city. From the perspective of customs commodity classification, export statistics in 2026 still list "worn clothing" as a separate category, showing that this is an ongoing commodity trade.

Why clothes collected for free are sold
Residents handing over clothing for free does not mean later processing has no cost: door-to-door collection, vehicle transport, warehouse storage, item-by-item inspection, compression and baling, container loading and transport, as well as customs clearance, warehousing, and sales after entry all cost money. Used clothing has no value at home, but once it enters the industrial chain it regains commodity attributes; what companies sell is not just the clothing itself but also collection efficiency, sorting labor, transport capacity, and sales channels—the better the quality, the finer the sorting, and the better the market match, the higher the commercial value. This is similar to the logic of recycling and reselling old cardboard boxes for a price difference. Clothing triggers a stronger psychological gap because it carries personal emotions, and people easily imagine the recipient directly wearing it. Keeping clothes that can still be worn in circulation is more valuable than incineration or landfill; what truly erodes trust is inconsistency between the information disclosed at deposit and the actual destination: labeling something as charity while long lacking explanations of where the clothing goes, or passing commercial recycling off as caring donation.

Employment and burdens on the African side
In markets such as Kenya and Kantamanto in Accra, Ghana, second-hand clothing (mitumba) is not waste: some consumers have limited incomes and new clothing is relatively expensive, so second-hand clothing offers a lower-cost choice; wholesale and retail links also support many workers. A dress discarded from a Chinese wardrobe may pass through collectors, sorters, freight workers, importers, wholesalers, and stallholders before reaching the wearer. On the other side is quality divergence: good items can be sold, while poor goods are hard to absorb locally, and if only quantity is pursued without quality control, the processing pressure is merely shifted from one place to another.

Three destinations for used clothing and the transparency problem
Household-discarded clothing generally falls into three states: relatively new and clean items suitable for wearing have high reuse value; ordinary styles with intact materials can enter recycling; moldy, oil-stained, or severely damaged items have low processing value and also increase downstream sorting pressure. Consumer attitudes can be divided into three types: those willing to give to clearly charitable projects and hoping the items are delivered free of charge; those who accept commercial recycling and care that clothing is not wasted; and those who care more about transparency—clothes can be sold and companies can make money, but collection bins should clearly state their purpose. The value of used-clothing circulation lies not in how far it travels but in whether it can truly be used. Charity relies on trust, while commercial recycling relies on cost and profit, and mixing the two is what turns an ordinary piece of used clothing into a controversy. In industry terms, both export and recycling need clearer information disclosure and quality grading, otherwise disputes will continue to squeeze the trust space for formal recycling.

Source: About 60% of old clothes donated by Chinese people are sold to Africa? Once they become goods, are you still willing to donate? · Originally published on 2026-08-02