Don’t Pull That Thread! – Opinions From E. Curtis Johnson

My Dad would literally give you the shirt of his back. Dad would be surprised to learn that donating used clothing contributes to poverty in Africa. According to Elizabeth Cline in “Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion.” “Charities long ago passed the point of being able to sell all…unwanted clothes.”

Sustainable apparel consultant Shannon Whitehead says only 10% of donated clothing has resale value with the rest going to landfills or recycled into rags and insulation. Many donated clothes ends up in the markets of sub-Saharan Africa.

In the words of Shine Staff write, Beth Greenfield, the 4.7 billion pounds of clothing Americans donate annually is part of an elaborate resale system. This contributes to unemployment because many poor countries never develop their own textile industries.

I’m E. Curtis Johnson. This story is a reminder of the importance of strong local markets and how the planet’s economy is interwoven. Pull a thread in an American suburban thrift store and unwind a textile industry in sub- Saharan Africa.