From collection to sale – researchers followed textiles exported for reuse

How does the export of used textiles work? Researchers at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute have conducted a case study where they examined the entire chain, from collection in Sweden to the second-hand market in Kenya.

A large portion of the textiles collected in Sweden are exported because there is no demand for them in Sweden. For example, around 11,000 tonnes of textiles were exported to Lithuania last year, which is equivalent to almost 500 shipping containers.

In the study, we looked at how used textiles are collected and handled in Sweden and the economics of pre-sorting these clothes, as well as how the trade works, and the legislation, and the subsequent quality assurance of the clothes before they are exported to Kenya, says Amanda Martvall, textile expert at IVL.

The work is based on interviews and information gathered from Sweden's largest textile collector, Human Bridge, as well as Humana Lt in Lithuania and its subsidiaries in Oman and Kenya. The collected textiles are first pre-sorted in Sweden, and then exported for more detailed, manual sorting before being sold on the second-hand market.

In Lithuania and Oman the textiles are sorted and inspected, and only a small portion, about 8 percent, is sorted as textile waste; the rest can be reused. Used textiles are sorted by product category and quality. Damaged garments are sold to recycling companies, dirty textiles are washed, and everything that is to be resold is folded and placed in bales. The bales are then exported to Kenya and elsewhere.

In Kenya these used clothes are called mitumba and come in different varieties, from very good quality to more well-worn items. Everything that is imported must meet import requirements, whereby only sorted and well-defined product categories are allowed to enter the country. The clothes are sold through various retail channels and in mitumba shops, so even people with very limited financial resources can afford them.

There is a well-functioning value chain for reuse. Clothes that we cannot find a market for in Sweden today are given a longer life in a new market. The sorting facilities have developed specialised expertise in sorting by both quality and product categories, with the value increasing at each stage, says Mathias Gustavsson at IVL.

New legislation in Sweden – a challenge for collection

However, Swedish textile collection does face challenges, for instance the increased and changed volumes of textiles collected since the law on separate collection came into force in January 2025. Textiles that are damaged and should be recycled are now mixed with textiles that can be reused. Textile experts at IVL believe that the law on separate collection is an important step towards a more circular management of textile waste, but in its current form it risks undermining a well-functioning value chain.

Collection should be designed to avoid mixing these two types of textiles. This will improve the quality of both textile streams, enabling clothes to be reused in the first instance, and other textiles to be recycled in a cost-effective manner once the technology is in place, says Amanda Martvall.

Read more in the report: From collection of used clothes in Sweden to reuse in Kenya External link, opens in new window.

For questions, please contact:
Amanda Martvall, amanda.martvall@ivl.se, tel. +46 (0)10-788 65 85
Mathias Gustavsson, mathias.gustavsson@ivl.se, tel. +46 (0)10-788 65 68