Textiles
In Sweden, we consume about 13 kilos of textiles per person each year, according to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, and only 20% of this is reused — the rest is incinerated. From an environmental perspective, it is a major waste of resources that textile waste is not separated from combustible waste.
Alongside collecting medical supplies, Human Bridge also works with the collection of used textiles. Some of the textiles are donated for sale through the nonprofit association Lindra Second Hand, whose surplus helps co‑finance Human Bridge’s initiatives. Some textiles are sent to people in need in Africa and Eastern Europe, or sold by partner organizations in Eastern Europe to fund social programs for vulnerable groups. Some textiles are also sold to selected sorting facilities, which in turn generates funds for aid efforts. Textiles that are no longer suitable for reuse are recycled by recovering the fibers, which are then used to produce new items such as mattresses, blankets, and insulation materials for the automotive industry.
Partner with Us in Textile Collection
Human Bridge’s collection and handling of used textiles aims to meet modern environmental standards and contribute to achieving the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s new, ambitious goals for textile collection in Sweden.
In addition to whole and clean textiles, we also accept textiles that can be used in a recycling process, where they are either cut into cleaning cloths or shredded for fiber recycling.
Textile recycling requires careful pre‑sorting and specialized machinery. At present, both sorting companies and recycling industries are located outside Sweden. It is important to note that recycling is limited to textiles made of fibers, and that both manual sorting and mechanical shredding impose further restrictions on what can be processed.
There is intensive research underway to develop new chemical recycling methods, but only in the long term can this research hopefully lead to new solutions that allow used fibers to be used in large‑scale textile production.
Here you can read about what you may place in our collection containers.
Human Bridge Expands Its Focus and Places Textile Recycling High on the Agenda
Reuse of second‑hand textiles has become very popular among consumers and second‑hand actors in recent years. The environmental benefit is significant and immediate when comparing continued use with the environmental impact of producing new textiles.
Demand on the customer side is almost global, supported by many different sellers — large and small — from the private sector, aid organizations, and industry. In other words, it is relatively easy to manage used textiles that are suitable for continued use.
For other textiles, the situation is completely different: Managing textiles that are only suitable for recycling in an environmentally efficient way is a major challenge, especially as the proportion of recycling‑grade textiles in collection volumes is expected to increase significantly.
Recycling takes place only within the industrial sector. Any actor wishing to qualify as a supplier of textiles for recycling — after sorting out all textiles with a positive resale value — faces high demands and must have the right expertise.
Human Bridge has long relied on competent partners in recycling matters. “Now we will strengthen our own expertise in‑house, while also following and actively influencing the development of new technologies and solutions for circular use of textile fibers,” says Robert Bergman, Director of Human Bridge.
Human Bridge has therefore chosen to be a driving partner in the Vinnova‑funded project SIPTex (Swedish Innovation Platform for Textile Recycling), led by the Swedish Environmental Research Institute IVL.
What Happens to Collected Textiles?
All surplus from the sale of textiles goes to aid efforts in the form of delivering clothing or preparing and delivering medical equipment and disability aids. Through our aid shipments, hospitals and clinics receive tested equipment that becomes a great help to many.
Regardless of the path the collected material takes, it enables aid efforts for recipients primarily in Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.
Human Bridge’s Handling of Collected Textiles
Most of the textiles Human Bridge collects in Sweden are sold to textile sorting companies in the EU — Lithuania and Slovakia. Before export, the textiles are pre‑sorted by Human Bridge in Sweden. Human Bridge has chosen to work with a small number of customers for several reasons, including that these customers can demonstrate third‑party‑certified quality and environmental management systems. The sorting carried out at these facilities is highly professional, and the incoming material is sorted into up to 400 fractions, of which 93–95% is reused or recycled in some form. No material is landfilled; the remaining 5–7% that cannot be reused or recycled is sent for energy recovery.
Most of the sorted textiles are sold in our customers’ own second‑hand stores within the EU. Textiles exported outside the EU go to their own second‑hand stores primarily in Eastern Europe and Kenya.
Exporting second‑hand clothing can become a major environmental problem if done incorrectly or illegally, but when done properly it provides livelihoods and access to good clothing at affordable prices. To illustrate the complexity, Kenya can serve as an example, according to the Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya — an organization representing 2 million second‑hand traders. Importing a container of second‑hand clothing to Kenya involves import duties and shipping costs of at least USD 20,000 — the same cost as importing newly produced textiles. It is estimated that the second‑hand clothing sector employs around 2 million Kenyans, and that 51% of the population needs to buy second‑hand clothing every quarter. This sector also generates significant income for the Kenyan state through income taxes and VAT. In local interviews, people do not understand why already‑produced second‑hand clothing is criticized in reports and media, while new production is not scrutinized to the same extent. How many different materials are in a garment? How much overproduction occurs?
If the import of second‑hand clothing were cut off in a country like Kenya, the alternative for the population would be to buy new clothes — likely low‑quality garments produced in China. This would not be a better solution for individuals, the country, or the environment. The idea that someone would choose to import waste to Kenya given the current costs does not seem reasonable.
Africa’s challenges with waste management are not new — they apply to most countries on the continent and to all types of waste, not just textiles. Unfortunately, we know that in this industry there are many who exploit the fact that money can be made from textiles with little personal risk — in Sweden, Europe, and internationally. Therefore, it is crucial for Human Bridge to collaborate with and be associated with serious sorting companies that can clearly demonstrate how the material is handled.
Guaranteeing that all textiles are handled sustainably all the way to the end consumer is a strong claim, but Human Bridge continues to work actively to ensure that we and our partners act in accordance with what our tagline aims to convey: