Take-back trickery

The report reveals a significant gap between the sustainability claims of fast fashion brands and the reality of their take-back schemes. By tracking 21 high-quality items across Europe, the investigation found that many items were downcycled, destroyed, or shipped to African countries where they often end up in landfills, rather than being reused or recycled into new clothing.

• An investigation tracking 21 high-quality clothing items returned to ten brands (H&M, Zara, C&A, Primark, Nike, Boohoo, New Look, The North Face, Uniqlo, and M&S) in the UK, France, Belgium, and Germany found that many items were not reused or recycled as promised.
• Seven items in good condition were quickly destroyed, thrown away, or downcycled into low-quality products like padding or cleaning rags; one item was incinerated as fuel in a cement plant.
• Four items from C&A and H&M were shipped to Africa (specifically the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mauritania, and Mali), where they often enter second-hand markets that lack waste management systems, leading to landfilling or incineration.
• The report identifies third-party companies as key actors in the system; SOEX processed six items, shipping three to Africa and downcycling others, while ReSales Textilhandels- und -recycling GmbH (part of the TEXAID group) incinerated one item and shipped another to Mauritania.
• Take-back schemes often encourage further consumption by offering discounts or loyalty points to customers; 13 of the 21 tracked items were associated with such incentives.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2023). Take-back trickery. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Take-back-Trickery_French.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. Take-back trickery. 2023. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Take-back-Trickery_French.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=Take-back trickery |date=July 2023 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Take-back-Trickery_French.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2023takeback, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{Take-back trickery}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2023}, month = jul, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Take-back-Trickery_French.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }