Finns throw away an estimated 70 million kilograms of garments and home textiles every year – or the equivalent of some 1.750 truckloads.
Both individuals as well as businesses toss out brand news clothing and textiles that have never seen a single use. Most clothing shops claim they never toss out unused clothing, but recycling centres around the country know they do.
Globe Hope, a Finnish design company that has made ecological design out of recycled materials for the past 13 years, is one of the companies taking advantage of repurposing cloth and textiles from so-called “unusable” clothes.
“Now we can use new clothes that never get sold in shops,” Seija Lukkala, CEO of Globe Hope said.
Clothes often poorly made
Currently, only a fraction of Finland’s clothing and textiles are recycled. There are increasing amounts of clothes so cheaply made they fall apart after a few uses. The worst of them are impossible to use or even repurpose.
A lot clothes end up at UFF, a charity-based recycling organisation that collects used clothes in yellow and dark green containers in more than 110 municipalities in Southern Finland.
UFF’s facility in Klaukkala is where the clothes tossed in those containers end up. UFF organisers say the fact that people are already recycling is in itself a positive development.
When the new law goes into effect, it's likely that UFF and others may begin investing in more used clothing bins.