A significant amount of textiles collected in Sweden are exported for reuse, as there is limited demand within the country. In fact, nearly 11,000 tonnes of textiles were sent to Lithuania last year, equivalent to about 500 shipping containers.
A recent study explored the entire journey of these textiles, from collection in Sweden to their sale in Kenya. The research looked into the process of sorting used clothes in Sweden, the economics of pre-sorting, the trade logistics, and the legislative framework involved in their export.
Amanda Martvall, a textile expert at IVL, explained, “We examined how used textiles are collected and handled in Sweden, including the economics of pre-sorting these clothes. We also explored the legislation and quality assurance process before they are shipped to Kenya.”
The study was based on interviews with major textile collectors like Human Bridge in Sweden, as well as organizations such as Humana Lt in Lithuania, and its subsidiaries in Oman and Kenya. After textiles are pre-sorted in Sweden, they are exported for more detailed sorting before being sold in the second-hand market.
In Lithuania and Oman, textiles are manually sorted and inspected. Only about 8 percent of them end up as textile waste; the rest are repurposed. Clothes are categorized by product type and quality. Damaged clothes are sold to recycling companies, dirty textiles are washed, and all garments set for resale are folded and packed into bales. These bales are then exported to Kenya and other destinations.
In Kenya, these second-hand clothes, known as “mitumba,” are sold in various conditions, from high-quality items to more worn-out ones. All imported clothes must comply with strict import regulations, which require that they be well-sorted and fall into clearly defined categories. These clothes are then sold through retail channels, particularly in mitumba shops, making them affordable even for people with limited financial resources.
Mathias Gustavsson of IVL highlighted the functioning value chain: “Clothes that no longer have a market in Sweden are given a new life in another market. Sorting facilities have developed specialized expertise, enhancing the value of each textile at every stage.”
Despite the success of this reuse system, there are challenges ahead for Swedish textile collection, especially following the introduction of a new law on separate textile collection in January 2025. This law aims to manage textile waste more efficiently but has led to an increase in mixed textiles. Damaged clothes that should be recycled are now combined with reusable ones, complicating the sorting process.
Amanda Martvall from IVL emphasized that this new law could affect the current value chain:
Collection should be designed to prevent the mixing of these two types of textiles. Doing so would improve the quality of both streams, ensuring that reusable clothes are prioritized, while other textiles are recycled more effectively once the right technology is available.
Amanda Martvall , Sustainability Consultant – Textile and Circularity at IVL
