Let’s start with some data on the current state of textile waste in developed countries. One study shows that the majority of textile waste in the USA goes to landfill dumps. In 2017, the figures were 13 million tonnes or 85% of all textile waste. Moreover, an average American throws away almost 37kg of clothes per year. Every year, European Union disposes of or burns some 9.35 million tons of textile waste. So every year, the average European, while buying 26 kg of textiles, discards 11 kg.
On a global scale, the estimate is some 92 million tonnes of textiles waste per year. Also, the landfill sites end up with an amount equivalent to a rubbish truck full of clothes per second. As a whole, estimates show that there will be 134 million tonnes of textile waste per year by 2030.
It’s important to explore various reasons for the overconsumption behaviour in the developed markets. It’ll help to understand the necessity of used clothing for sale in developing markets.