It’s hard to keep track of all the advice out there: donate, recycle, repair, and so on. It can feel overwhelming. So, here’s a simple guide to help you figure out what to do with those clothes you’re ready to part with. The goal is simple: keep as much out of the landfill as possible.
Before tossing anything out, ask yourself if it could still be useful to someone else.
NB: Before donating anything, ask yourself, would I give this to a friend (which is also an option). You don't want to transfer the burden of clothes in poor condition to the charities.
A small rip or a missing button isn’t the end of the world.
Sometimes, a piece just isn’t wearable anymore, but that doesn’t mean it’s trash.
There’s no denying that some clothes are beyond saving. But before you throw them out, consider the options—and the challenges.
What's left then ? We're not going to lie to you, there is currently no perfect answer.
The truth is that we can't and won't be able to solve the clothing waste problem just by recycling or reusing. Most textiles are still ending up in landfills or being burned—73% to be exact. And less than 1% of old clothes get recycled into new garments.
Why? The technology isn’t fully there and hardly scalable to the billions of garments discarded of every year.
Moreover, transparency in the industry is a big issue, making itimpossible to trace and establish the destination and faith of clothes when it leaves the country.
Progress is finally being made at European level, with new legislation pushing member states to finally collect textile waste separately and developp new strategies to reuse, sort and dispose of it more ethically. Exports are also bound to be more regulated to limit current excesses and loopholes.
We can hope to have a better collection and sorting system in coming years.
Although some progress is made, we still believe in the virtue of seeing issues at the end of the line as being better treated by changes at the very start of it. That’s why the real answer resided in producing and consuming less. The best thing you can do now that you know the difficulties of getting rid of your clothes ethically is be mindful before you even get to the point of decluttering. Try to avoid the endless cycle of constantly buying and discarding half of your wardrobe every 6 months. Clothes are being used between 35 and 50% less than 15 years ago. That shows how much clothes have been made to be seen as disposable. Yet, that shouldn't be the case, and now you know why: we don't know how to deal with it.
Good thing this whole website is about helping you make better choices for yourself and transmit a new idea of what fashion is and could be. By slowing down and making sure pieces you buy actually fill a need and a list of standards you have for what you wear, you won't feel the need to get rid of it as quickly.
It’s up to all of us—brands and consumers alike—to push for change. All fashion brands alike need to invest in better materials and circular designs, while consumers can demand higher standards and make thoughtful choices. To make circular economy happen you need products that are circular. All actors in the reuse, upcycling or recycling sector would tell you the same thing: that you can't work with badly made products like we see everywhere today. There's nothing to be done with those. Only garments and products made with circularity in mind will be circulated longer. Until that happens, managing clothing waste will continue to be a challenge.
So, next time you’re ready to clear out your closet, think twice before tossing anything out. There’s often a better way—and even if the solutions aren’t perfect, every little effort counts in keeping waste out of our landfills.
