The Rag Industry - American’s Wasted Fashion

I read an article the other day on what happens to your donated clothing if is not deemed “resalable,” and thus never making it onto a resale, or thrift store floor. This figure caught my eye; only about 10% of the approximately 47-million pounds of clothing American’s donate each year actually make it onto thrift store racks for a second chance of finding a home in someone else’s closet.

So the burning question is - what happens to the rest of those millions of pounds of clothing? They get “ragged off” to textile recyclers, otherwise known as The Rag Industry.

Thrift Stores sell the leftover clothing by weight or by the bin to textile recyclers. The clothing is shipped to a recycling plant where employees sort the garments by grade and fiber. As the various clothing items come off a conveyor belt, an employee must make a snap decision as to where that piece of clothing will end up next.

The clothing deemed resalable is shipped in containers by the tons to various third world countries. One hundred pound bales are then sold to sellers in these countries at a profit for the recycling plant.

Another interesting note is that the clothing bales are not allowed to be opened until the purchase is final. The seller is relying fully on the employee who made an instant decision at the recycling center. Talk about pressure!

In an effort to keep as many items as possible out of local area landfills, ReUseIt also sells their unsalable clothing items to reputable textile recyclers.

I found this glimpse into the Rag Industry interesting. It’s alarming to think personally of how quickly we run through clothing in our home with a family of five, three of which are growing kiddos. The term America’s Wasted Fashion is not lost on me. Since I don’t see American’s slowing down when it comes to the amount of clothing our country goes through, it seems like the Rag Industry will remain a staple as a source of income to thrift stores and other non-profit donation centers.