Threads of Truth
How many of us have dropped clothes into bring-banks or shop take-back schemes and wondered what really happened next? We assume our unwanted items will quickly find a new home nearby, naively thinking that our unwanted clothes might still be helping, not hindering. But where does that pair of jeans end up? And why is the world of textile recycling in Ireland, still so murky?
A new investigation Threads of Truth by VOICE Ireland, and the Dublin Hub of the Global Shapers aims to bring clarity to a system that has operated largely out of sight. By placing trackers in 23 donated items, the team uncovered a very different reality: 95% of the tracked clothing was exported out of the country, and 60% left the EU.
*This online version reflects updates made following an internal review conducted in January 2026.
During the review, a categorisation error was identified concerning the recorded end fate of one item (out of 23 analysed). The item had previously been classified as having an “unclear” fate. Upon review, its last recorded location was found to align with the criteria used in the report to define an item as “reused.”
As a result, one item has been reclassified from “unclear” to “reused,” leading to minor adjustments to two percentage figures in the findings: 30% of items have been reused (previously stated as 26%) and 52% had unclear fates (previously states as 56%)
These corrections and do not affect the overall findings, analysis, or conclusions of the report. For any questions regarding this update, please contact: Solene Schirrer
