1 00:00:00,891 --> 00:00:02,057 This is "Marketplace." 2 00:00:02,435 --> 00:00:03,537 Whoa. 3 00:00:04,690 --> 00:00:06,472 Pajamas, old dresses. 4 00:00:06,472 --> 00:00:08,441 Oh, my gosh! 5 00:00:08,441 --> 00:00:11,411 Where do all your old clothes really end up? 6 00:00:11,411 --> 00:00:14,680 Ultimately, it is going to end up in a landfill. 7 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:16,983 We follow the trail around the world. 8 00:00:18,884 --> 00:00:21,447 The high cost of fast fashion. 9 00:00:21,447 --> 00:00:23,171 This is your "Marketplace." 10 00:00:23,556 --> 00:00:26,859 I'm here checking out some of the biggest fashion chains in the world, 11 00:00:26,859 --> 00:00:29,362 but I'm not shopping for new clothes. 12 00:00:29,362 --> 00:00:31,978 I'm actually trying to get rid of some of my old ones. 13 00:00:33,032 --> 00:00:37,252 So these are my all-time favorite sweatpants from college. 14 00:00:38,504 --> 00:00:41,248 These, I washed them and they totally shrunk. 15 00:00:41,569 --> 00:00:43,099 These were also super cheap. 16 00:00:43,353 --> 00:00:45,056 This is just like an old T-shirt. 17 00:00:45,812 --> 00:00:47,947 It was black at one point in its life. 18 00:00:49,613 --> 00:00:51,684 Some retailers are on a mission. 19 00:00:51,684 --> 00:00:53,487 They want your unwanted clothes, 20 00:00:53,487 --> 00:00:56,042 and some are competing with charities for it. 21 00:00:56,922 --> 00:01:00,323 There's a new bin in town and the message is clear: 22 00:01:00,323 --> 00:01:02,976 Don't throw old clothes in the garbage, 23 00:01:02,976 --> 00:01:04,396 dump them here. 24 00:01:04,703 --> 00:01:06,900 They'll take curtains, they'll take jeans. 25 00:01:06,900 --> 00:01:08,967 They'll even take your old underwear. 26 00:01:11,070 --> 00:01:13,272 Drop off old clothes and get a coupon 27 00:01:13,272 --> 00:01:15,708 to save money when you buy new ones. 28 00:01:16,568 --> 00:01:18,911 But before I part with my old clothes, 29 00:01:18,911 --> 00:01:21,080 I've got a few more questions. 30 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:23,983 These bins sure make us all feel good. 31 00:01:23,983 --> 00:01:26,562 But are they doing as much good as we think? 32 00:01:28,221 --> 00:01:29,322 Look at this! 33 00:01:29,322 --> 00:01:30,923 Look at these bags! 34 00:01:31,497 --> 00:01:33,883 Most of us are like the Bretons and the Palmas 35 00:01:33,883 --> 00:01:35,187 in Markham, Ontario. 36 00:01:35,802 --> 00:01:38,306 Somehow, we end up with too many clothes. 37 00:01:38,605 --> 00:01:39,780 Emily, what's in here? 38 00:01:39,780 --> 00:01:41,811 Old clothes that are too small for me. 39 00:01:42,502 --> 00:01:44,637 They purge a few times a year, 40 00:01:44,637 --> 00:01:46,856 normally dropping their haul in a charity bin. 41 00:01:47,289 --> 00:01:48,304 Whoa! 42 00:01:48,617 --> 00:01:50,610 Stuff like these have holes in them. 43 00:01:50,610 --> 00:01:52,845 This isn't just a pile of clothes. 44 00:01:52,845 --> 00:01:55,948 It's now a pile of textile waste. 45 00:01:55,948 --> 00:02:00,083 And we want to show the kids just how big the problem really is. 46 00:02:03,591 --> 00:02:05,235 Are you guys ready to go inside 47 00:02:05,235 --> 00:02:07,995 and see what happens to all those clothes that you donate? 48 00:02:07,995 --> 00:02:09,007 Yes 49 00:02:09,007 --> 00:02:10,362 All right. Let's go inside. 50 00:02:12,118 --> 00:02:13,909 Go on in, take a look. 51 00:02:14,649 --> 00:02:16,685 Whoa! 52 00:02:21,424 --> 00:02:22,865 Clothes! Clothes! 53 00:02:23,275 --> 00:02:24,467 That's clothes. 54 00:02:25,137 --> 00:02:26,345 Do you see that? 55 00:02:26,345 --> 00:02:27,657 Oh, my gosh. 56 00:02:27,757 --> 00:02:28,781 Clothes! 57 00:02:29,481 --> 00:02:31,417 That's a crazy pile. 58 00:02:31,918 --> 00:02:36,075 And get this, all of this is what's leftover, 59 00:02:36,075 --> 00:02:38,346 the stuff no one wants. 60 00:02:38,624 --> 00:02:41,000 The stuff that thrift stores can't sell. 61 00:02:41,260 --> 00:02:43,585 All those clothes you guys piled up yesterday, 62 00:02:43,796 --> 00:02:45,671 this is where it can end up. 63 00:02:45,966 --> 00:02:47,332 It's a lot of clothes. 64 00:02:47,581 --> 00:02:49,482 It wasn't what I was expecting to see. 65 00:02:49,935 --> 00:02:51,265 One warehouse, 66 00:02:51,265 --> 00:02:56,038 more than 200,000 pounds of textile waste each week. 67 00:02:56,375 --> 00:02:59,918 And that's just from in and around Toronto. 68 00:03:00,803 --> 00:03:03,166 Across the country, we've got nine other locations 69 00:03:03,166 --> 00:03:04,190 similar to this one. 70 00:03:04,190 --> 00:03:07,661 The last year or two years, probably a 15 to 20% growth 71 00:03:07,661 --> 00:03:10,270 in the overall volume of textiles that are coming in. 72 00:03:10,556 --> 00:03:14,424 Tonny Colyn is the head of donations for Salvation Army Canada. 73 00:03:14,894 --> 00:03:18,729 So, how do you think fast fashion has impacted...this? 74 00:03:19,198 --> 00:03:20,243 All of this. 75 00:03:20,393 --> 00:03:22,138 It's had a massive effect. 76 00:03:22,138 --> 00:03:24,237 And all of that stuff has to go somewhere. 77 00:03:24,237 --> 00:03:26,272 The dads of these two families, 78 00:03:26,272 --> 00:03:30,064 Michael Palma and Norman Breton can't believe it. 79 00:03:30,375 --> 00:03:34,314 Their coats or boots might be okay, but they want something new. 80 00:03:34,591 --> 00:03:36,959 If they need or if they want, it's a big question. 81 00:03:36,959 --> 00:03:39,529 A lot of times they want stuff but they don't need it. 82 00:03:40,809 --> 00:03:45,377 Still, we can't seem to get our hands on fast fashion fast enough. 83 00:03:45,735 --> 00:03:47,881 Cheap, trendy, disposable clothes. 84 00:03:48,285 --> 00:03:50,416 And we're even bragging about it. 85 00:03:50,663 --> 00:03:52,932 And I ended up with a bag full of clothes. 86 00:03:52,932 --> 00:03:57,135 We're all buying too much, 400% more, since the 1980's. 87 00:03:57,670 --> 00:04:01,330 The quality isn't all that great, but the prices are fantastic. 88 00:04:01,372 --> 00:04:04,822 But not all of our old clothes make it to the donation bin. 89 00:04:05,144 --> 00:04:09,259 Most of it, 85%, ends up in landfills. 90 00:04:10,991 --> 00:04:16,558 In North America, it's estimated to be at least 25 billion pounds a year. 91 00:04:17,453 --> 00:04:20,178 In Canada alone, imagine a mountain 92 00:04:20,178 --> 00:04:24,343 three times the size of Toronto's Rogers Centre Stadium 93 00:04:24,883 --> 00:04:27,215 Where they don't biodegrade easily 94 00:04:27,215 --> 00:04:30,888 because many are made with fabrics that can't be broken down. 95 00:04:32,312 --> 00:04:36,163 Releasing chemicals and dyes into our rivers, soil. 96 00:04:37,109 --> 00:04:41,571 That's part of the reason why fashion is one of the world's top polluters. 97 00:04:45,478 --> 00:04:47,038 So in the last few years, 98 00:04:47,144 --> 00:04:52,666 some of the biggest names in the business: Levi's, Nike, Adidas, Zara 99 00:04:52,666 --> 00:04:54,734 have started recycling programs. 100 00:04:55,272 --> 00:05:00,352 All retailers with donation bins in stores calling out for your old garments. 101 00:05:00,658 --> 00:05:02,735 But none go as far as H&M. 102 00:05:03,168 --> 00:05:06,485 They will take anything: jeans, curtains, even underwear. 103 00:05:06,785 --> 00:05:08,084 Just check out their ads. 104 00:05:08,874 --> 00:05:10,544 The thing that you never wore. 105 00:05:10,882 --> 00:05:12,877 This and this and that. 106 00:05:13,512 --> 00:05:15,848 The thing with the color that wasn't your color. 107 00:05:16,178 --> 00:05:17,262 Bring it on. 108 00:05:17,450 --> 00:05:20,652 This is one of H&M's latest ad campaigns. 109 00:05:20,652 --> 00:05:24,123 Cut your jeans into pieces and make new jeans out of them. 110 00:05:24,980 --> 00:05:28,556 "Cut your jeans into pieces and make new jeans out of them." 111 00:05:28,866 --> 00:05:32,671 With your help,we literally turn your old clothes into new garments. 112 00:05:33,401 --> 00:05:37,167 "We literally turn your old clothes into new garments." 113 00:05:37,881 --> 00:05:40,511 Garments in the worst condition can be transformed 114 00:05:40,511 --> 00:05:44,561 into insulation material or textile fibers woven into cloth, 115 00:05:44,561 --> 00:05:48,684 reborn as fashionable new clothes of every conceivable kind. 116 00:05:49,571 --> 00:05:51,822 What do you think about recycling clothes? 117 00:05:51,822 --> 00:05:53,183 I think that's amazing. 118 00:05:53,183 --> 00:05:54,324 That's a great plan. 119 00:05:54,384 --> 00:05:56,194 We're talking about recycling clothes. 120 00:05:56,194 --> 00:05:58,824 What does that make you think is happening to the stuff? 121 00:05:58,824 --> 00:06:02,512 I think maybe it's, like, refurbish the clothes 122 00:06:02,512 --> 00:06:04,994 and get them to look new again. 123 00:06:05,264 --> 00:06:07,399 What do you think happens to that stuff? 124 00:06:07,399 --> 00:06:10,524 Doesn't it get recycled to make new clothes from the old clothes? 125 00:06:10,836 --> 00:06:13,748 Let's shred it into fibers and stitch it into something new 126 00:06:14,063 --> 00:06:17,410 The only thing we will not do it waste it. 127 00:06:17,730 --> 00:06:19,186 Bold recycling claims. 128 00:06:19,305 --> 00:06:21,974 They sound great, but are they really? 129 00:06:23,549 --> 00:06:27,086 [ Flight Attendant Over Intercom ] 130 00:06:27,256 --> 00:06:30,489 To try to find out, we head to New York City, 131 00:06:30,489 --> 00:06:32,591 one of the fashion capitals of the world. 132 00:06:34,260 --> 00:06:36,628 With jackets, you always have to check the lining. 133 00:06:36,628 --> 00:06:40,735 To meet Elizabeth Cline, an anti-fast fashion crusader. 134 00:06:41,100 --> 00:06:44,417 Because of what she knows, she only wears used clothes. 135 00:06:44,639 --> 00:06:47,224 It's made her a pro at assessing cast-offs. 136 00:06:48,140 --> 00:06:53,307 On a coat, the first thing you would do is make sure the zippers work. 137 00:06:53,445 --> 00:06:56,982 Especially fast fashion, like, a lot of the fasteners will just break 138 00:06:56,982 --> 00:06:58,951 and chip really quickly. 139 00:06:59,173 --> 00:07:01,297 We show her H&M's marketing 140 00:07:01,297 --> 00:07:05,445 and ask her what she thinks about making new clothes out of your old ones. 141 00:07:05,891 --> 00:07:08,527 Shred it into fibers and stitch it into something new. 142 00:07:08,527 --> 00:07:12,999 The reality is that currently only about 1% of clothing is actually recycled 143 00:07:12,999 --> 00:07:16,469 in the very literal sense of the word. 144 00:07:16,469 --> 00:07:17,469 1%? 145 00:07:17,469 --> 00:07:18,470 1%. 146 00:07:18,470 --> 00:07:20,373 1%...is recycled? 147 00:07:20,373 --> 00:07:23,642 If you're talking about recycling in terms of taking fibers 148 00:07:23,642 --> 00:07:26,545 and breaking them down 149 00:07:26,545 --> 00:07:29,215 and turning them back into new fibers, it's 1%. 150 00:07:29,215 --> 00:07:31,884 Why is it so hard to just take my old shirt and turn it into a new one? 151 00:07:31,884 --> 00:07:34,353 Why can't you just do is that? 152 00:07:34,353 --> 00:07:38,190 A lot of our clothes are made out of blended fibers, 153 00:07:38,190 --> 00:07:42,161 so maybethis is acrylic and wool and cotton mixed together, 154 00:07:42,161 --> 00:07:45,464 maybe my tights are cotton and elastin, 155 00:07:45,464 --> 00:07:47,866 that makes it difficult to recycle. 156 00:07:47,866 --> 00:07:51,637 The other challenge is that when you recycle cotton and wool, 157 00:07:51,637 --> 00:07:57,076 it diminishes the quality of that material, 158 00:07:57,076 --> 00:08:01,113 so it weakens the cotton and wool strand and gives you a lesser product. 159 00:08:01,113 --> 00:08:04,950 Bottom line, the technology just isn't there yet. 160 00:08:04,950 --> 00:08:08,454 It's way too expensive and too time consuming 161 00:08:08,454 --> 00:08:11,157 to make new clothes from old ones. 162 00:08:11,157 --> 00:08:14,493 It's also a more skeptical side of me 163 00:08:14,493 --> 00:08:18,230 that knows that the reason why H&M is focusing on textile recycling 164 00:08:18,230 --> 00:08:20,900 is because it's an easy sustainability win for them. 165 00:08:20,900 --> 00:08:23,802 It doesn't involve them changing their production model at all 166 00:08:23,802 --> 00:08:27,840 to collect clothes and make sure that they get a second life. 167 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:30,676 It doesn't make the fast fashion system any more sustainable. 168 00:08:33,345 --> 00:08:36,749 Experts agree fast-fashion needs to change if we really want to make a difference 169 00:08:39,017 --> 00:08:41,486 Remember when fashion had four seasons, 170 00:08:41,486 --> 00:08:44,023 winter, spring, summer and fall? 171 00:08:44,023 --> 00:08:47,292 Now the trends change almost every day. 172 00:08:47,292 --> 00:08:51,030 Here's how this Swedish clothing giant CEO explains it. 173 00:08:51,030 --> 00:08:54,500 They have new garments coming into the stores almost every day. 174 00:08:54,500 --> 00:08:57,068 So if you go to an H&M store today and come back two days later, 175 00:08:57,068 --> 00:09:00,105 you will always find something new. 176 00:09:00,105 --> 00:09:03,275 H&M salespeople tell us new clothes come in 177 00:09:03,275 --> 00:09:06,812 every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. 178 00:09:06,812 --> 00:09:10,148 That works out to half a billion products a year. 179 00:09:10,148 --> 00:09:14,186 And it's why H&M's recycling campaign makes Claudia Marsales so mad. 180 00:09:19,458 --> 00:09:23,395 It really is a form of greenwashing. 181 00:09:23,395 --> 00:09:24,997 She's the head of Markham, Ontario's waste programs. 182 00:09:24,997 --> 00:09:27,766 One of the few Canadian cities to actually ban textiles from landfills. 183 00:09:31,070 --> 00:09:36,508 In order for the fast fashion outlets to recycle what they make, 184 00:09:36,508 --> 00:09:38,177 it would take 12 years to recycle what they sell in 48 hours. 185 00:09:40,512 --> 00:09:43,449 Like it's just... 186 00:09:43,449 --> 00:09:46,352 So that sort of tells me it's really more about foot traffic, marketing, 187 00:09:46,352 --> 00:09:50,489 greenwashing than about really addressing the broken business model 188 00:09:50,489 --> 00:09:52,424 of fast fashion. 189 00:09:52,424 --> 00:09:55,060 We asked H&M to come on camera and talk about their recycling program. 190 00:09:56,629 --> 00:09:59,164 They declined, assuring us they don't want to encourage a throwaway attitude. 191 00:10:01,233 --> 00:10:04,403 Their clothes are good quality and made to last. 192 00:10:04,403 --> 00:10:07,606 And they are working towards a business model where, 193 00:10:07,606 --> 00:10:10,576 eventually, all their clothes can be recycled. 194 00:10:10,576 --> 00:10:12,478 At least they're trying? 195 00:10:12,478 --> 00:10:18,784 Yes, well, but they're a cause of the problem, 196 00:10:18,784 --> 00:10:22,822 so fast fashion retailers, their business model is the problem. 197 00:10:22,822 --> 00:10:26,658 They're making too much, they're selling it too cheap. 198 00:10:26,658 --> 00:10:28,760 It's disposable clothing. 199 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:31,730 Doing a bit of back-end recycling and a bit of commercials 200 00:10:31,730 --> 00:10:34,300 really doesn't address that issue. 201 00:10:37,269 --> 00:10:39,605 And ask some customers one of the things they love most about the program? 202 00:10:41,706 --> 00:10:43,174 It's the discount. 203 00:10:43,174 --> 00:10:45,878 That incentive to keep buying. 204 00:10:45,878 --> 00:10:47,412 I put it in the bin and then they give me a discount. 205 00:10:47,412 --> 00:10:48,881 I saw it and it's like oh, snap. 206 00:10:48,881 --> 00:10:50,282 You know, um, it's a way to, like, 207 00:10:50,282 --> 00:10:53,452 you know, help me and help them at the same time. 208 00:10:53,452 --> 00:10:55,521 What do you mean when you say help you and help someone else? 209 00:10:56,755 --> 00:10:59,358 Um, help me by, you know, saving money and help them by providing free clothing. 210 00:11:01,293 --> 00:11:04,864 We just chuck it in the bin and they did offer, like, a $5 discount. 211 00:11:06,232 --> 00:11:08,767 H&M might be collecting your old clothes. 212 00:11:08,767 --> 00:11:13,905 More than 55,000 tonnes so far, 213 00:11:13,905 --> 00:11:17,109 but if they're barely making new clothes from your donations, 214 00:11:17,109 --> 00:11:18,109 where do they all go? 215 00:11:18,109 --> 00:11:19,545 These shoppers have a theory. 216 00:11:20,746 --> 00:11:22,848 Where do you think those clothes go that you put in H&M? 217 00:11:22,848 --> 00:11:25,951 They probably go to people who need them, 218 00:11:25,951 --> 00:11:29,555 probably like shelters or other places that use the clothes. 219 00:11:29,555 --> 00:11:31,457 Probably give it for free, or something, to the people that need it. 220 00:11:33,793 --> 00:11:34,793 Where do you think that stuff goes, what do you think happens to it? 221 00:11:35,861 --> 00:11:37,429 Hopefully to just some needy people. 222 00:11:37,429 --> 00:11:38,997 Yeah. 223 00:11:38,997 --> 00:11:40,966 Who still want to be fashionable. 224 00:11:40,966 --> 00:11:43,469 Many of us think our old clothes are given to the less fortunate. 225 00:11:44,770 --> 00:11:45,904 Wrong. 226 00:11:45,904 --> 00:11:48,039 And maybe you're telling yourself that to feel better about buying more, too. 227 00:11:50,142 --> 00:11:52,377 Well, Cline coined a term for this. 228 00:11:55,414 --> 00:11:57,582 What's the clothing deficit myth? 229 00:11:57,582 --> 00:12:02,954 So, the clothing deficit myth is the idea that when we give clothes to charity, 230 00:12:02,954 --> 00:12:06,558 they're going to go to someone locally in our community in need. 231 00:12:09,094 --> 00:12:13,933 But in the era of fast fashion, 232 00:12:13,933 --> 00:12:16,134 there's far more unwanted clothes than there are people in need. 233 00:12:18,237 --> 00:12:21,073 The Salvation Army knows all about that. 234 00:12:21,073 --> 00:12:25,944 Remember, this is all the stuff they can't sell at their stores. 235 00:12:25,944 --> 00:12:29,314 So what do they do with all these leftovers? 236 00:12:29,314 --> 00:12:32,017 They sell it to a middle man. 237 00:12:32,017 --> 00:12:34,620 And the retailers do the same thing with all you donations too. 238 00:12:36,488 --> 00:12:39,958 In Canada, H&M gives the money it makes off your donations to UNICEF. 239 00:12:41,827 --> 00:12:43,094 Here's the thing. 240 00:12:43,094 --> 00:12:45,364 All textiles are worth money. 241 00:12:45,364 --> 00:12:48,333 The stuff that's in really rough shape is shredded for painter's cloths 242 00:12:48,333 --> 00:12:51,970 or insulation, for example, then sold. 243 00:12:51,970 --> 00:12:56,742 But the majority of all donated clothes are shipped overseas 244 00:12:56,742 --> 00:12:59,945 to developing countries and they're sold there, too. 245 00:12:59,945 --> 00:13:02,714 Not donated or given to needy people. 246 00:13:02,714 --> 00:13:05,650 And if you think that means it's not going to end up in landfills, 247 00:13:05,650 --> 00:13:08,387 think again. 248 00:13:10,422 --> 00:13:12,658 We follow the trail of your old T-shirts around the world. 249 00:13:14,726 --> 00:13:16,729 The black stripes here are from Canada. 250 00:13:16,729 --> 00:13:19,664 You can't afford to miss this trip. 251 00:13:19,664 --> 00:13:22,133 This is your "Marketplace." 252 00:13:25,437 --> 00:13:27,472 The real deal on your "Marketplace." 253 00:13:31,377 --> 00:13:32,944 We love our clothes. 254 00:13:32,944 --> 00:13:36,882 Now so cheap, you can make a different statement every day. 255 00:13:36,882 --> 00:13:38,684 These things are $3? 256 00:13:38,684 --> 00:13:40,953 $5. 257 00:13:40,953 --> 00:13:43,489 But they come with a huge cost. 258 00:13:43,489 --> 00:13:45,958 Part of the reason why some fast fashion chains, 259 00:13:45,958 --> 00:13:49,895 like H&M, say they've got recycling programs like this. 260 00:13:49,895 --> 00:13:53,165 The Earth simply cannot bear so many clothes 261 00:13:53,165 --> 00:13:54,866 ending their lives as waste. 262 00:13:54,866 --> 00:13:57,636 H&M has a far better answer. 263 00:13:57,636 --> 00:14:00,239 But we learnt less than 1% of the world's used clothes are turned into new ones. 264 00:14:03,442 --> 00:14:07,078 The majority of those donations from retailer and charity bins 265 00:14:07,078 --> 00:14:10,315 are baled and sold overseas. 266 00:14:17,856 --> 00:14:21,593 This is Nairobi, Kenya, the country at the top of the list 267 00:14:21,593 --> 00:14:24,663 when it comes to buying your old clothes. 268 00:14:24,663 --> 00:14:27,733 Kenya is one of Canada's best customers. 269 00:14:27,733 --> 00:14:31,703 In a given year, they buy more than $20 millionvworth of our old clothes 270 00:14:33,639 --> 00:14:35,440 All the rest with the black stripes here are from Canada. 271 00:14:37,809 --> 00:14:39,945 These are a variety of kids clothing. 272 00:14:39,945 --> 00:14:41,680 This one is a jacket. 273 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:43,248 Ladies T-shirts. 274 00:14:43,248 --> 00:14:46,318 Maina Andrew is a used clothing importer. 275 00:14:46,318 --> 00:14:48,152 People from Canada and America, they are actually a bit huge. 276 00:14:51,656 --> 00:14:53,659 Scenes like this aren't isolated. 277 00:14:53,659 --> 00:14:57,963 You'll see them all over Africa, South and Central America. 278 00:14:57,963 --> 00:15:01,433 A lot of this is stuff Canadians donated for free, 279 00:15:01,433 --> 00:15:06,204 only for it to be sold here for profit to vendors 280 00:15:06,204 --> 00:15:10,676 like Alice Nyansarora Anunda, who brings it to her local market. 281 00:15:10,676 --> 00:15:15,647 They call the clothes, "Mitumba." 282 00:15:15,647 --> 00:15:21,520 No, that one, it's just a nickname we gave it, 283 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:24,957 "Mitumba" means, "Old" in our culture. 284 00:15:24,957 --> 00:15:27,993 Nearly 13,000 kilometres away. 285 00:15:27,993 --> 00:15:30,763 But take a closer look and there they are. 286 00:15:30,763 --> 00:15:32,730 The names you know. 287 00:15:32,730 --> 00:15:36,234 AEO, Zara, Adidas, H&M. 288 00:15:36,234 --> 00:15:40,906 The way we open bales, we know plans where there's new clothes, 289 00:15:40,906 --> 00:15:45,410 especially those which come from Canada. 290 00:15:45,410 --> 00:15:47,712 But Andrew notices many of the clothes are low quality, tough to sell. 291 00:15:50,015 --> 00:15:51,149 We just dump them. 292 00:15:51,149 --> 00:15:52,817 If people don't buy them, we just dump them. 293 00:16:02,828 --> 00:16:05,196 They do go in the piles of garbage, very many of them. 294 00:16:09,734 --> 00:16:12,371 He says this happens regularly right behind the market, 295 00:16:12,371 --> 00:16:16,074 discarding and burning clothes Canadians don't want 296 00:16:16,074 --> 00:16:19,611 and neither do Kenyans. 297 00:16:19,611 --> 00:16:22,381 Sometimes they pack even very old items. 298 00:16:22,381 --> 00:16:25,050 You can even pack items that are not even good, 299 00:16:25,050 --> 00:16:29,487 and they end up dumping them in Africa or in Kenya. 300 00:16:36,461 --> 00:16:39,398 Yeah, we burn them and it is a lost work because we have already bought them. 301 00:16:44,036 --> 00:16:46,504 All those popular brands in the crowded markets, 302 00:16:46,504 --> 00:16:49,274 Elizabeth Cline has seen them, too. 303 00:16:49,274 --> 00:16:50,608 She's been to Kenya. 304 00:16:50,608 --> 00:16:52,411 There are a lot of different companies around the world 305 00:16:52,411 --> 00:16:55,780 that are working on textile recycling in the truest sense of the word, 306 00:16:55,780 --> 00:16:58,350 but it's really in the very early stages. 307 00:16:58,350 --> 00:17:01,119 Whether it stays in the United States or if it ends up in Africa, 308 00:17:01,119 --> 00:17:04,790 ultimately it is going to end up in the landfill. 309 00:17:04,790 --> 00:17:07,258 We tell H&M about this Kenyan market and all the fires. 310 00:17:08,794 --> 00:17:11,896 They say its middle man I:CO, 311 00:17:11,896 --> 00:17:13,933 which handles pickup and distribution of their bins, 312 00:17:13,933 --> 00:17:14,933 has really high standards. 313 00:17:14,933 --> 00:17:17,536 But they are still working on building a better tracking system 314 00:17:17,536 --> 00:17:20,738 so this doesn't keep happening. 315 00:17:20,738 --> 00:17:23,141 Dumping is always cheaper. 316 00:17:23,141 --> 00:17:25,176 It's always the cheaper option. 317 00:17:25,176 --> 00:17:26,610 There's only one solution. 318 00:17:26,611 --> 00:17:30,381 The producer of the clothing is responsible cradle to grave. 319 00:17:30,381 --> 00:17:33,218 So they make the T-shirt, they sell the T-shirt, 320 00:17:33,218 --> 00:17:37,455 the T-shirt comes back, they have to recycle that t-shirt. 321 00:17:37,455 --> 00:17:39,691 They can't put it in a third world country. 322 00:17:39,691 --> 00:17:41,459 As far as South Africa is concerned, we banned secondhand clothing. 323 00:17:43,228 --> 00:17:46,498 When a country survives on secondhand things, 324 00:17:46,498 --> 00:17:48,566 secondhand clothes, 325 00:17:48,566 --> 00:17:49,968 it means there's something wrong with that system. 326 00:17:49,968 --> 00:17:52,370 Threatening the survival of the local textiles industry. 327 00:17:52,370 --> 00:17:54,239 And now many of those countries are fighting back. 328 00:17:55,907 --> 00:17:59,144 East African countries sent the world a message recently. 329 00:17:59,144 --> 00:18:01,279 They don't want our hand-me-downs and tried to ban them. 330 00:18:02,847 --> 00:18:04,349 Their government said it was destroying their own textile market. 331 00:18:06,385 --> 00:18:09,587 Secondhand clothes are quite cheap 332 00:18:09,587 --> 00:18:13,525 and any manufactured textile would not be able to compete with them. 333 00:18:15,026 --> 00:18:17,395 And despite everything you just watched, 334 00:18:17,395 --> 00:18:20,231 Cline says H&M group is a frontrunner in sustainability efforts. 335 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:24,035 Compared to other brands, they are leaders. 336 00:18:24,035 --> 00:18:27,072 I don't know what that says about the rest of the fashion industry, 337 00:18:27,072 --> 00:18:29,107 that a fast fashion chain is at the top of that list. 338 00:18:30,675 --> 00:18:33,578 Just know that your textile waste is an environmental issue. 339 00:18:33,578 --> 00:18:36,648 Textile waste in landfills is one of the fastest growing categories of waste 340 00:18:36,648 --> 00:18:40,752 and it's such an easy thing to do something about. 341 00:18:42,120 --> 00:18:46,224 So what should you do with all your old clothes? 342 00:18:46,224 --> 00:18:50,362 The answers, coming right up. 343 00:18:50,362 --> 00:18:52,797 Do you have a story you want us to investigate? 344 00:18:52,797 --> 00:18:56,235 Write to us, Marketplace@cbc.ca. 345 00:18:59,804 --> 00:19:02,040 The high cost of fashion on your "Marketplace." 346 00:19:03,008 --> 00:19:04,409 Do you ever impulse buy? 347 00:19:04,409 --> 00:19:05,677 Absolutely. 348 00:19:05,677 --> 00:19:07,279 What was the last thing you bought that now you see, and you're like: 349 00:19:07,279 --> 00:19:08,380 "What was I thinking?" 350 00:19:08,380 --> 00:19:09,781 Clothing always. 351 00:19:09,781 --> 00:19:12,851 On average, we buy almost 70 clothing items every year. 352 00:19:14,286 --> 00:19:17,188 That means we're buying new clothes every week. 353 00:19:17,188 --> 00:19:19,123 What did you buy? 354 00:19:19,123 --> 00:19:20,792 A lot of stuff. 355 00:19:20,792 --> 00:19:21,960 Did you need anything? 356 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:23,161 No. 357 00:19:23,161 --> 00:19:25,029 Just looking around and you bought a few things. 358 00:19:25,029 --> 00:19:26,164 Yes, I bought lots of things. 359 00:19:26,164 --> 00:19:29,534 Leggings, shirts, socks, underwear. 360 00:19:29,534 --> 00:19:31,736 Most of these styles will end up trashed in landfills. 361 00:19:33,504 --> 00:19:36,141 Fast fashion is a big part of the problem, but we don't have to buy in. 362 00:19:38,676 --> 00:19:43,415 So this is 50% polyester, 50% cotton. 363 00:19:43,415 --> 00:19:45,950 It's really hard to separate those fibers and make new stuff. 364 00:19:45,950 --> 00:19:47,185 You bet. 365 00:19:47,185 --> 00:19:48,719 Do you know how many litres of water goes into making a single pair of jeans? 366 00:19:50,355 --> 00:19:51,589 Almost 4,000 litres. 367 00:19:51,589 --> 00:19:53,025 Wow. Whoo. 368 00:19:53,025 --> 00:19:54,325 That's crazy. 369 00:19:57,162 --> 00:19:59,398 And sometimes, just seeing the waste makes a difference. 370 00:20:00,965 --> 00:20:03,802 These families swear they'll change their ways. 371 00:20:03,802 --> 00:20:05,804 They want to look at the cute things, things that look good, 372 00:20:05,804 --> 00:20:07,872 but not necessarily good quality. 373 00:20:07,872 --> 00:20:10,809 We have to... we try to teach them to use their stuff until it's worn out. 374 00:20:12,376 --> 00:20:14,912 Speaking of waste and consumption, 375 00:20:14,912 --> 00:20:18,183 I've still got my bag of clothes to get rid of. 376 00:20:18,183 --> 00:20:21,086 I don't really know where the best place is to go with my stuff. 377 00:20:23,188 --> 00:20:25,189 And I think people at home who see this 378 00:20:25,189 --> 00:20:26,491 are probably going to have the same question 379 00:20:26,491 --> 00:20:29,994 Some people like to swap the clothes, so that's the first line of defence. 380 00:20:31,663 --> 00:20:33,298 If it's in really good condition, you can take them to a consignment store. 381 00:20:34,932 --> 00:20:39,637 You can also donate to a reputable charity. 382 00:20:39,637 --> 00:20:44,242 Do your research on who you're giving your clothing to. 383 00:20:44,242 --> 00:20:47,379 Don't buy so much. 384 00:20:47,379 --> 00:20:49,180 So bottom line, when it comes to your used clothing, 385 00:20:49,180 --> 00:20:52,384 don't throw it away, 386 00:20:52,384 --> 00:20:53,652 try and give it to somebody who can actually use it. 387 00:20:53,652 --> 00:20:56,254 Hey, girls, does anybody need a T-shirt? 388 00:20:56,254 --> 00:20:57,889 No, you sure? 389 00:20:57,889 --> 00:20:59,224 Black dress pants? 390 00:20:59,224 --> 00:21:00,726 Hardly ever wore them. 391 00:21:00,726 --> 00:21:01,793 This is cool, right? 392 00:21:01,793 --> 00:21:02,994 Zipper in the back. 393 00:21:02,994 --> 00:21:04,195 I think I'm okay. 394 00:21:04,195 --> 00:21:05,297 Any chance you want to return yours and take these ones? 395 00:21:06,297 --> 00:21:07,298 No, thank you. 396 00:21:07,298 --> 00:21:08,299 They're a size small. 397 00:21:08,299 --> 00:21:09,367 I wore them, like, twice. 398 00:21:09,367 --> 00:21:10,368 No, thank you. 399 00:21:10,368 --> 00:21:11,669 No? No. 400 00:21:11,669 --> 00:21:13,070 Do any of you need a pair of pajama pants 401 00:21:13,070 --> 00:21:15,573 or know someone who might want these? 402 00:21:15,573 --> 00:21:17,208 I'll take them. T-shirt? 403 00:21:17,208 --> 00:21:18,310 I'll take them. 404 00:21:18,310 --> 00:21:20,445 Any chance you want a pair of Levi's? 405 00:21:20,445 --> 00:21:22,981 Sure, size 6, me. 406 00:21:22,981 --> 00:21:24,215 Awesome! Awesome. 407 00:21:24,215 --> 00:21:25,216 There you go and they won't go to a landfill this way. 408 00:21:26,217 --> 00:21:27,886 No. 409 00:21:27,886 --> 00:21:30,355 Maybe there is no perfect solution to this complicated problem. 410 00:21:31,923 --> 00:21:34,425 But if there's something I've learned throughout this process, 411 00:21:34,425 --> 00:21:36,561 it's that there is something I can do. 412 00:21:36,561 --> 00:21:40,832 And, for me, that will mean buying less. 413 00:21:43,834 --> 00:21:47,139 A special, year long Marketplace investigation. 414 00:21:47,139 --> 00:21:50,708 We go undercover, inside nursing homes. 415 00:21:50,708 --> 00:21:53,077 I was... 416 00:21:53,077 --> 00:21:55,514 Families fighting for better care. 417 00:21:55,514 --> 00:21:58,683 Die, die... 418 00:21:58,683 --> 00:21:59,918 My poor mother. 419 00:21:59,918 --> 00:22:02,887 Has long term care reached a crisis point? 420 00:22:02,887 --> 00:22:04,789 Oh, we're way past that. 421 00:22:04,789 --> 00:22:07,125 I think we've been in crisis for years. 422 00:22:07,125 --> 00:22:09,194 If this happened in a day care, 423 00:22:09,194 --> 00:22:11,363 that day care would be shut down in five minutes. 424 00:22:11,363 --> 00:22:13,898 How to fight for better care, 425 00:22:13,898 --> 00:22:16,101 On the next Marketplace.