Follow the Money: The Podcast Europe’s second-hand clothing crisis
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Dec 17, 2025 In this insightful discussion, investigative journalist Vittoria Torsello uncovers the hidden truths of Europe's second-hand clothing trade. She reveals how donated garments embark on extensive journeys across the globe, leading to surprising carbon emissions. Using innovative tracking methods, including Bluetooth tags and satellite data, she exposes the convoluted pathways of these clothes, many of which end up in countries like Pakistan and the UAE. Torsello highlights how fast fashion and systemic failures contribute to a looming crisis in the industry.
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Donations Make Long, Polluting Journeys
- Donated clothes often travel thousands of kilometers to be sorted, sometimes tripling their carbon emissions.
- Tracking revealed a deep crisis in Europe's secondhand clothing sector driven by overcapacity and low prices.
Bluetooth Trackers Revealed Garment Routes
- Reporters hid 28 Bluetooth trackers in donated garments across multiple EU cities and monitored them via a crowdsourced Android system.
- They cross-checked tracker locations with satellite imagery and trade data to map sorting hubs and export routes.
Many Tracked Items Left The EU
- Of 28 tracked items, 12 left the EU for countries like Pakistan, UAE, India, Morocco and Tunisia.
- The rest moved east within the EU, highlighting systemic export of sorting work to non-EU hubs.