The United States is the world leader in exporting used textiles.

Exporting used clothing and textiles is extremely valuable, provides income to low- and middle-income countries helps the environment as well as where non-agricultural jobs are scarce.

The secondhand clothing industry accounts for 3,55,000 jobs in five East African countries.

As consumer incomes rise in low-income and middle-income countries, those countries expand their food imports from the United States, benefitting farmers and food processors in the US. Other benefits include employing 55,000 to 70,000 people in trucking and port operations and in organizations that collect, sort, bale, and export the goods.

Exporting used textiles also benefits the environment. Rather than ending up as waste in American landfills, exported textiles are used abroad. About 30 per cent of the 12.4 million tons of textile waste generated in 2013 was recovered for export. This recovery contributed to a 20 per cent drop in total waste tonnage deposited in US landfills.

The production of new textiles is widely recognized as being one of the most environmentally and socially damaging industries in the world.

The secondhand clothing industry dramatically helps close the loop on post-consumer textile waste, and provides many people around the world the only affordable access to quality apparel.