The hidden cost of fast fashion for charities

In the neon-lit room, bags pile up, filled to the brim with macramé dresses, faux leather pants and baby clothes. On the shelves, quilts and hats form piles that threaten to collapse while bins bend under the weight of rags. We are in the premises of the Emmaüs association in Figeac, in the Lot. Here, volunteers receive clothing donations on Mondays and Wednesdays. Overwhelmed, they sort and store up to a ton and a half of textiles per week. “People are generous, yes. But often, it’s junk,” laments Alain Fraysse, co-president of the Emmaüs branch in Figeac.

The people of Figeac are not alone in facing the problem. In France, solidarity associations, such as the Red Cross or Secours populaire, are drowning in piles of unusable clothing. “In general, only 15 to 20% of donations are of good quality,” continues Alain Fraysse. We offer these to vulnerable people or we sell them in our solidarity shops. Everything else stinks, is torn or distorted! » Mountains that go into the trash or recycling.

The main person responsible for this mess? Fast-fashion (ephemeral fashion) and its brands quickly produce textiles at lower cost and of mediocre quality. In France, the Chinese giant Shein is all the rage with its online sales. It is even preparing to open, at the beginning of November, six stores in shopping centers, such as the Galeries Lafayette in Dijon (Côte-d’Or) and Angers (Maine-et-Loire) and a sales space at BHV, in Paris. French traders fear competition from Shein, which cuts prices and ignores environmental standards and working conditions. The associations fear being suffocated under unusable donation bags.

Waste of time and money

In fact, fast fashion is causing an explosion in the number of clothes put on the market. From 2.6 billion pieces sold in France in 2018, we increased to 3.5 billion in 2024*. These dresses, jackets and coats deteriorate at the slightest incident and end their short life in solidarity containers. At the risk of breaking the collection chain. Usually, actors, such as Emmaüs or Secours catholique, entrust textiles to recycling companies. But many of them stopped the partnership, unable to give a second life to low-end materials. In Figeac, Emmaüs volunteers must transport their stocks to another sorting center, 150 km away. “The trip by van takes more than two hours round trip, at 1.60 euros per liter of diesel,” explains Alain Fraysse. Our volunteers waste precious time: around half a day! »

For others, the bill is steeper. The Secours populaire de Toulouse, for example, can no longer count on the local recycler who collected its clothes for free. The stock is way too big. “We throw more than 600 kg of textiles into the recycling center every week,” laments Houria Tareb, director of Secours populaire in Haute-Garonne. Cost of the operation: 500 to 600 euros. Associations are reduced to drawing on the cash flow supposed to support precarious people. An absurdity which could encourage them to close solidarity shops. And definitely leave the field open to fast fashion.

*Refashion eco-organization.