Textile Collection
Reuse and recycling are key concepts in the work we do. Since the beginning, the basic idea has been to collect used but functional materials and send them to people in need. Through textile collection, old clothes and household textiles can gain “new life” through new users. Reusing textiles benefits the environment, conserves the earth’s resources such as water and energy, and also reduces the use of chemicals.
Collection Containers
Human Bridge has around 2,500 clothing collection boxes placed throughout communities, at recycling centers and recycling stations, in cooperation with municipalities or private landowners. There you can drop off used clothing, shoes, and household textiles. The boxes are located from central Sweden and southward. Contact us and we will help you find the nearest one: info@humanbridge.se, 0383‑46 74 70.
At some of our depots and facilities, you can also come and hand in materials directly. Many associations and congregations carry out local collections, which are then delivered to Human Bridge, or picked up by us when possible.
Human Bridge uses several different types of containers for textile collection. Our collection containers are equipped with a front label like the one shown below.
What You Can Donate
We Accept
Used clothing, garments, underwear, bed linens, towels, household textiles. Only intact shoes (preferably in pairs and tied together), hats, blankets, handbags, belts, accessories.
We Cannot Handle
(due to the lack of recycling methods)
Carpets, carpet scraps, mattresses, wet and/or heavily soiled textiles, damaged shoes, small fabric scraps, tailoring waste, textile production waste such as cutting remnants, broken umbrellas, damaged rainwear (made of plastic materials) or damaged leather garments (organic hide), suitcases, baskets, pillows, duvets, packaging materials, and other clearly non‑textile materials.
“Do you really want my torn textiles?”
This question is often asked to Human Bridge by environmentally conscious and engaged donors. The question is highly relevant and timely — but not simple to answer. The answer is both “no” and “yes.”
No, because the financial resources for our aid work would increase if we primarily collected whole and clean textiles until recycling systems have been revolutionized and scaled up.
Yes, because we have a genuine environmental commitment and want to help ensure that the environmental impact of textiles is as small as possible, including through participation in the development of environmentally efficient and climate‑smart textile recycling solutions.
Managing used textiles in an environmentally responsible way is multifaceted and complex. Below we describe the situation:
In recent years, awareness has grown that textiles account for a significant portion of global environmental impact throughout their life cycle. This has led to major and rapid changes in how used textiles are handled. Researchers, politicians, and decision‑makers in Sweden and the rest of the EU have begun to act and are seeking solutions to reduce the environmental impact of textiles — and preferably as quickly as possible.
One consequence is that collection volumes must and will increase. Instead of focusing mainly on “whole and clean” clothes for reuse, consumers are now also expected to hand in their torn and worn textiles for recycling.
Most collection actors in Sweden are nonprofit organizations like Human Bridge. Traditionally, they have collected textiles for distribution to people in need, primarily in other countries, or for sale in second‑hand shops. For these purposes, “whole and clean” textiles have been suitable. Today, mainly for environmental reasons, much larger volumes are being collected, and naturally the Swedish second‑hand and aid markets cannot absorb all of it. Therefore, much of the collected material is sold to the international sorting industry. The revenue generated finances collection and sorting and also covers the cost of handling unusable materials that are sent for recycling. The primary goal of the sorting industry is reuse, which takes place on the global market.
Textiles that are not suitable for continued use must be recycled, and the message is therefore that these should also be handed in. This means that “whole and clean” textiles are increasingly mixed with worn ones, which naturally lowers the average value. As an environmentally engaged organization, we welcome and actively participate in projects aimed at increasing textile recycling. Intensive research is underway with many promising results. However, these are still at laboratory or demonstration scale. What is needed are large‑scale industrial production facilities so that we can manage the enormous volumes of textiles that can no longer be reused. Only when this becomes reality will textiles for recycling become a sought‑after product and gain value as raw material for new manufacturing processes.
In the meantime, the economic conditions for collection actors are changing, as the average value decreases while we are expected to receive ever‑larger volumes of damaged textiles. It is precisely this average value that is intended to generate the revenue needed to cover collection costs and produce a surplus.
Textile collection for Human Bridge is linked to a clear environmental commitment, in line with our core areas: aid, environment, and social initiatives. At the same time, textile collection itself creates the financial basis for carrying out our aid work. Our aid efforts mainly consist of supplying hospitals in vulnerable countries with thoroughly inspected used medical equipment. Thus, even in this part of our work, there are clear environmental benefits, even if that is not the primary motive.
Human Bridge collects large volumes in Sweden, and we want to continue qualifying as a professional actor in the future. This requires that we can manage all textiles going forward, both for reuse and recycling. However, the financial margins are becoming increasingly tight for the reasons described above. That is why our answer to the initial question can be both yes and no.