DRK withdraws: What happens to the old clothing containers?

The old clothing collection of the German Red Cross (DRK) faces changes. On most old clothing containers in the Trier region, the DRK's signet can be found, and the imprint "Your donation helps us" draws attention to charitable work. Last year, the Rhineland-Palatinate DRK collected a total of 7000 tons of old textiles. Much of these donations are sold to support the respective projects and the social-charitable mission of the organization.

However, the aid organization withdraws from the container collection in many places. In the Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm, 140 clothing containers are currently set up, and in the adjacent circles Vulkaneifel, Bernkastel-Wittlich, Trier-Saarburg and the city of Trier, the numbers should look similar to Volksfreund reported.

background of the old clothing exports

In addition to the current Situation of the clothing containers, a transparency initiative deals with the critical view of old clothing exports. Allegations that these exports damage the textile industry in Africa are considered outdated. According to drk.de , the exports are not the main cause for low textile production in Africa. Various factors such as problematic production conditions, frequent power failures, irregular water supply and missing spare parts contribute significantly to the situation.

Furthermore, state interventions and distortions of competition from import duties are obstacles to the local textile industry. The shift in textile production to Asia since the 1970s has led to a significant loss of production facilities and jobs in Europe and Africa. Despite all of this, second-hand clothing in Africa is estimated because of its good quality and cheap prices, and their further processing offers new job opportunities on the continent. In addition, old clothing exports contribute to reducing garbage and giving clothes a second life.