Donating our clothes may not be as straightforward as we think.
An ongoing investigation by CTV W5, aimed at exposing the hidden agenda behind certain clothing donation bins around Canada, suggests clothes donated by Canadians intended for local communities in need aren’t always ending up in the hands we expect. By using hidden trackers, W5 discovered a large portion of these clothes travel to for-profit markets as far as Tunisia, in Northern Africa.
What the article refers to as a “lucrative […] industry” deceives and betrays the fundamental causes of charity. However, before placing the full blame on the countries receiving our donations, it’s worth acknowledging our role in perpetuating this system, for we’re not completely innocent.
Most people bring their clothing pile to the first available bin, without paying concern to what happens to their clothes next. But for those who do care about who’ll bear witness to their good deed, it’s understandable to feel cheated when your act of goodwill is sold for profit halfway across the world, even if it benefits somebody else. Although proceeds go to needful recipients, morally speaking, posing as a charitable cause and falsely claiming connections to non-profit organizations is dishonest and deceitful to donors.
When it comes to charity, transparency is key. Regardless of the cause, people deserve the necessary information to make informed decisions about where they’re donating to and how resources will be used. Once we give our goods away, the trajectory of our charitable act is no longer in our control. Unless we deliver these clothes directly to the organization, we don’t get to see whom they go to or how they’re used.
While Canadians are certainly victims of deceit, we aren’t completely blameless when it comes to contributing to global textile waste.
When we bring clothes to donation bins, the act is often done out of self-interest. Donating clothes is usually foregrounded with a motivation to get unwanted garments off one’s hands without the guilt of throwing them away. Or it’s an excuse to clean out our closet just to go and purchase newer, better clothes. Excess clothes are a burden rather than a value.
Yet, we tend to assume that communities, like the ones in Tunisia, can only benefit from amassing our clothing donations, without considering the negative impacts they will take on. While a portion of these clothes are sold in markets at small prices and benefit the economy of receiving countries, a majority of the clothes still end up in waterways and landfills, further contributing to textile pollution.
Our obliviousness to such considerations demonstrates the troubled relationship between the Global North and the Global South. Not discussed in CTV W5’s investigation is how the North pushes off responsibilities to the South, while appearing to be generous or innocent.
We’re quick to villainize less affluent countries for profiting off our clothes. Meanwhile, they’re the ones to bear the consequences of North America’s abuse of the fast fashion cycle, and to deal with the effects of climate change.
With more perspective and critical thinking, we can understand donation bin “scams” aren’t as black-and-white as they’re made out to be.
—Journal Editorial Board
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