‘You sold it – now recycle it’: the protesters mailing worn-out clothes to the shops they bought them from

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/29/you-sold-it-now-recycle-it-the-protesters-mailing-worn-out-clothes-to-the-shops-they-bought-them-from?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

by kassiusx

8 comments

  1. If there is any 100% guaranteed way to make sure your clothes end up in the landfill, it’s mailing them back to the companies that use slave/child labor to produce them.

    Not only will they give zero fucks about the ethics involved, if it catches on it will generate an absurd amount of CO2 emissions from the unnecessary mail trips on its way back to become trash.

    I hate to be so pessimistic but this really seems like it achieves nothing and creates more problems in the process.

  2. What the hell? Look at the consumer pivoting themselves away from accountability.

    If it’s still serviceable, donate it. If it’s not, drop it off at a textile recycling location. Clothing, towels, drapes, sheets, upholstery…put the stuff back into circulation.

  3. Love this.

    I think the more elegant solution would be to charge a 10% recycling/disposal charge on every item sold though

  4. How dumb do these idiots have to be!?

    How about, and I know this is super novel, they STOP BUYING FAST FASHION!!! They are talking about H&M and Uniqlo. . . Like who buys their $5 T-shirt, $20 slacks, and $15 fleece lined lounge pants and thinks “yeah, THIS was responsibly made”. . . Honestly if the tariffs lay a smack down on the fast fashion trend that would be awesome. If these idiots really want to make a difference they would keep using the clothes for either working cloths (I.e. yard work, painting, etc.), make stuff like rags, cat/dog toys out of them, or fins some way to reuse them since the article said thrift stores (understandably) don’t want them because they are low quality.

    The problem here is the entire fast fashion scene and people’s behavior towards it needs to change.

  5. Great, now they’re wasting energy on shipping it just so it can still get thrown out.

  6. What happened to the company that was turning clothing into insulation for buildings? It was my understanding that it had a good R value.

  7. Man, it’s so easy to just order used clothes from eBay. Most of the time they get sent USPS, which already has to drive by your house. Whenever something doesn’t fit I donate it to the charity thrift shop, they give me a blank donation receipt, and I write off the exact amount on my taxes.

  8. If I recall, H&M has a textile recycling program, and a small section of their clothing is made of recycled textiles.

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