FREE SHIPPING ON US ORDERS OVER $100
FREE SHIPPING ON US ORDERS OVER $100
May 22, 2018 3 min read
We’ve all seen them. The big yellow or green donation boxes of used clothes and shoes by the gas station, at the shopping center, almost anywhere. They are ubiquitous in the US and here in the Netherlands they abound, too. But what happens to the clothes shoved in those boxes? Do they go to help local families in need? Is this the “responsible” way to get rid of clothes your kid has outgrown?
Depending on where you are and the box you find, many of them are operated by for-profit companies that ship the clothes abroad to the developing world. “Well, at least they are going to people in need!” you say. Not so fast.
About fifteen years ago, I spent a summer living and working in Rwanda. There, in the market places, you'll find giant stalls of clothes and shoes from Europe and the US. Think of this flood of cheap clothes as the Walmart that runs the mom-and-pop stores out of business. Throughout Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, there are tailors, dressmakers, and small-scale manufacturers struggling to compete with the cheap prices of imported second-hand clothes. This has become such a problem, that countries in East Africa were beginning to consider banning the sale of secondhand clothes. Unsurprisingly, the US wasn’t thrilled with this idea and under the threat of sanctions, most of these countries backed down. But let’s be real, if they were passionate enough about this issue to stand up to the US, maybe we should listen to them, and do our best to keep our secondhand clothes close to home.
So what can you do to avoid sending your kids clothes abroad?
So I’d love to hear from you: what are you doing to reduce the social and ecological impact of your kids’ clothes? Have you found creative ways to buy less, buy better, repair or pass along? What works for you? Shoot me an email or comment below!
-Marianna
Get 15% off your first order along with early access to new products and exclusive deals when you join our list!