Where Do Your Donated Clothes Really Go?

You donate a pair of jeans and feel good about it. But where do they go, and who gets paid along the way? We follow one pair through six stops, with a source and a year for every number. Follow the channel for the next stop. Every price has a route. Instagram: @FollowTheBarcode CHAPTERS 0:00 The Myth 0:38 Stop 1: The Bin 1:31 Stop 2: The Shelf 2:52 Stop 3: The Scale 4:11 Stop 4: The Border 5:24 Stop 5: The Bale 6:38 Stop 6: The Leftover 8:22 The Verdict 9:43 Your Turn SOURCES AND LINKS (every figure in the video) 1. US Environmental Protection Agency, Textiles: Material-Specific Data (2018 data): https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/textiles-material-specific-data 2. CBC News (Ottawa), Paul Jay, "Here's where your donated clothing really ends up" (25 May 2016): https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/donated-clothing-where-it-ends-up-1.4662023 3. Savers Value Village, Inc., annual report on Form 10-K, fiscal 2025 (53 weeks ended 3 January 2026), filed with the US SEC: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1883313/000188331326000014/svv-20260103.htm 4. NPR, "The Global Afterlife Of Your Donated Clothes" (21 May 2013): https://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/05/21/185596830/the-global-afterlife-of-your-donated-clothes 5. SMART (Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association), frequently asked questions (undated page): https://www.smartasn.org/resources/frequently-asked-questions/ 6. SMART statement on the second-hand textile trade (March 2026): https://fashionunited.com/press/retail/smart-debunks-persistent-myths-about-the-second-hand-textile-trade/2026031171101 and coverage at https://journal.gocirculaire.com/global-second-hand-clothing-trade-not-a-disguised-waste-stream-says-industry-body/ 7. UN Comtrade database, US exports of worn clothing and other worn articles (HS 6309) and Ghana imports, 2023: https://comtradeplus.un.org/ 8. CNN, Kantamanto market report (10 August 2023): https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/10/africa/kan