Only three percent of global clothing is recycled! Mountains of clothing end up as fire waste in landfills in African countries.
Unfortunately, it is a misconception that all of our discarded, hole-free garments are re-worn in poorer parts of the world. Unfortunately, the naked truth is very different. Because once exported, the fate of the textile is uncertain’, confirms consumer protection expert Lisa Panhuber of Greenpeace in the clothing report published by the European Environment Agency on Monday.
The huge amount of waste that is often still easy to carry and that is only produced for fashion reasons is cause for concern. After all, in 2000 about 550,000 tons were exported from the EU, compared to 1.7 million tons recently. On average, this is almost four kilos per citizen of the Union, including Austrians.
Half of that ends up in Africa! A shocking fact about throwing away household clothes: According to the latest study by the Federal Environmental Service commissioned by the Ministry of Climate Protection, more than 220,000 tons of trousers, bras, pajamas and everything else that covers our nakedness end up in the sea every year.
The wax is burned without generating energy
Only 17 percent of this gets a new destination, the majority is simply incinerated. Six percent of the laundry that is often still wearable ends up in landfills or catches fire abroad without generating energy.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
