Humana People to People Second-Hand Clothing Collection and Trade
Humana People to People
(
Non-governmental organization (NGO)
)
#SDGAction57971
Description
The global fashion industry with its reliance on cheap production and over-consumption is a key driver of climate change, environmental degradation and global pollution. The only long-term solution is to build a circular economy for textiles based on much greater refurbishment and re-use of existing garments. Clothing re-use is key to protecting the planet and its people. We support municipalities in the Global North to collect textiles for reuse, help people dispose of their clothing responsibly, and divert reusable textiles from landfill and incineration. By sorting and enabling the re-sale of the majority of textiles we collect, we prolong the life of each piece of clothing, reduce the environmental impact associated with manufacturing new clothes and contribute to a circular global economy. We aim to improve life for people across the globe both directly through the supply chain of our operations and through reinvesting our surplus in development programmes. Through our supply chain, we reduce poverty and support thousands of livelihoods by creating employment, particularly for self-employed traders in the Global South, many of whom are women. We also provide dignity and economic benefit to millions of people who need access to affordable, sustainable, good quality clothing. Through the reinvestment of surplus into social development projects, and alongside our funding partners, we impacted the lives of over 17 million people in 2023, supporting better health, education, nutritional and community outcomes and working together to protect our planet. In 2023, we collected 132,000 tonnes of used textiles. Through the sorting and further trade of these textiles, we supported 127,500 direct and indirect jobs and generated 31.6M dollars in development funding, while saving 805,000 tonnes of CO2.
In the Global North, used clothing is collected mainly in donation bins, but also at collection points and via shops. These donations are sorted through a professional manual process. Depending on the characteristics of the garments, they then may be sold for reuse in retail shops in the Global North; sold for reuse to Humana People to People members in the Global South; sold on the global second-hand clothes market: or sold for recycling and downcycling. A part of donations is also sold as unsorted clothes on the global second-hand clothes market. Some donations are repaired or altered either before being resold or as part of the process. The proceeds are mainly distributed to social development projects through Humana People to People members in the Global South. Some proceeds are used to support local community programs in the Global North. We aim to ensure that donors and customers are able to donate easily and that they feel engaged with and inspired by our development mission and confident that they are helping the environment. The local second-hand collection spaces and retail shops are key to this, and we ensure they are clearly visible as part of the Humana People to People movement; well organized and respectful spaces; and facilitated by staff who are informed, professional, and passionate. We have a global view and also know our local markets. This enables us to ensure that the sorting process is highly specialized and professional, focusing on ensuring that items go to the distribution channels where they can achieve maximum social and economic impact. In the Global South, sorted clothing is imported from the Global North by our members and, after an optional step of further categorization, is sold wholesale in our warehouses to local traders who then sell it on; or sold directly in our retail shops in the Global South. Proceeds are distributed to social development projects through Humana People to People members or used to support other local development programs Clothing is used for emergency aid where required.
In Angola, Malawi, Kenya and several other countries, Humana People to People members and associates run workshops with second-hand clothes traders to develop their business knowledge and skills. These programs also assist traders - who are predominantly women - to register with the local authorities, gaining identity papers that are essential for opening bank accounts and developing their businesses more formally, as well as helping their families gain access to local services such as education and healthcare. Humana People to People’s Kenyan-based second-hand clothing operation has provided financial and material support to local Kenyan waste management company Taka Taka Solutions, to improve and expand their sorting and recycling capacity. Taka Taka Solutions collects and sorts general household and industrial waste in Nairobi, turning plastic waste into plastic pellets and organic waste into organic fertilizer, as well as separating paper, glass and metal for recycling. The company also processes end-of-life textile waste, which constitutes 2% of all waste collected.
Humana People to People’s second-hand clothes operation is delivered by 29 independent charities and 12 associates working in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, connected through a Federation structure. Each member organization is not-for-profit, overseen by a Governing Body, compliant with national legislation and regulations and operating to market conditions. The Humana People to People Federation connects this network and creates transparency through the system, making it easy to account for the flow of goods, services and money and ensure that all activities deliver the overall social and environmental mission.
Rather than disposing of their unwanted clothes in the mixed waste stream, millions of citizens in the global North chose to donate them to Humana, in part thanks to the experience they have using our donation points and our efforts to communicate the environmental cost of clothing and the social benefits of our mission. 18.9 million people donated clothes to Humana People to People members across the world in 2023, totalizing 132,000 tonnes of clothes. By redirecting an average of 65% or more of the collected clothes to reuse and up to 25% for recycling, 805,000 tonnes of CO2 have been saved. In parallel, millions of citizens buy used clothing from Humana People to People, buying less new clothing as a result – in part thanks to the good quality and well-priced clothing we sell in a positive shopping experience, and the connection they feel to our mission, including the environmental mission of consuming less new clothing. 31.7 million people bought re-used clothes from Humana People to People members in Europe and the USA in 2023. One study conducted by Humana Spain suggested that 6 out of 10 people who bought used clothing from Humana Spain would not need to buy anything new from a conventional store as a result. 19.5 million people bought clothes for reuse or resale from Humana People to People members in Africa and Central and South America in 2023. 29,000 tonnes of clothes were sold in Humana People to People’s retail and wholesale outlets across these regions in 2023. That year the Humana People to People network supported 127,500 jobs in second-hand clothes related roles in Africa and South and Central America. Most of these are informal jobs, as the secondhand retail economy in these geographies is characterized by a high degree of informality. The informal industry supports several opportunities for women and youth. For example, according to a 2024 independent study commissioned by Humana People to People and Sympany, 77% of interviewed informal retailers in Ghana, Kenya, and Mozambique were women, and approximately 70% younger than 45 years old.
Humana is part of /has regular collaborations with: Human Bridge (Sweden), Sympany (The Netherlands), EuRIC (European Recycling Industries’ Confederation), BIR (Bureau of International Recycling), Mepex Consult
SDGS & Targets
Goal 1
End poverty in all its forms everywhere
1.1
By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day
1.1.1
Proportion of the population living below the international poverty line by sex, age, employment status and geographical location (urban/rural)
1.2
By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions
1.2.1
Proportion of population living below the national poverty line, by sex and age
1.2.2
Proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions
1.3
Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable
1.3.1
Proportion of population covered by social protection floors/systems, by sex, distinguishing children, unemployed persons, older persons, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, newborns, work-injury victims and the poor and the vulnerable
1.4
By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance
1.4.1
Proportion of population living in households with access to basic services
1.4.2
Proportion of total adult population with secure tenure rights to land, (a) with legally recognized documentation, and (b) who perceive their rights to land as secure, by sex and by type of tenure
1.5
By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters
1.5.1
Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population
1.5.2
Direct economic loss attributed to disasters in relation to global gross domestic product (GDP)
1.5.3
Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030
1.5.4
Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies
1.a
Ensure significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources, including through enhanced development cooperation, in order to provide adequate and predictable means for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, to implement programmes and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions
1.a.1
Total official development assistance grants from all donors that focus on poverty reduction as a share of the recipient country's gross national income
1.a.2
Proportion of total government spending on essential services (education, health and social protection)
1.b
Create sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies, to support accelerated investment in poverty eradication actions
1.b.1
Pro-poor public social spending
Goal 5
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
5.1
End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere
5.1.1
Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non‑discrimination on the basis of sex
5.2
5.2.1
Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age
5.2.2
Proportion of women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to sexual violence by persons other than an intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by age and place of occurrence
5.3
5.3.1
Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 15 and before age 18
5.3.2
Proportion of girls and women aged 15-49 years who have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting, by age
5.4
Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate
5.4.1
Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age and location
5.5
Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life
5.5.1
Proportion of seats held by women in (a) national parliaments and (b) local governments
5.5.2
Proportion of women in managerial positions
5.6
Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences
5.6.1
Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care
5.6.2
Number of countries with laws and regulations that guarantee full and equal access to women and men aged 15 years and older to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education
5.a
Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws
5.a.1
(a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure
5.a.2
Proportion of countries where the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control
5.b
5.b.1
Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex
5.c
Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels
5.c.1
Proportion of countries with systems to track and make public allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment
Goal 8
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
8.1
8.1.1
Annual growth rate of real GDP per capita
8.2
Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors
8.2.1
Annual growth rate of real GDP per employed person
8.3
Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services
8.3.1
Proportion of informal employment in total employment, by sector and sex
8.4
Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production, with developed countries taking the lead
8.4.1
Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP
8.4.2
Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP
8.5
8.5.1
Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age and persons with disabilities
8.5.2
Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
8.6
8.6.1
Proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) not in education, employment or training
8.7
Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms
8.7.1
Proportion and number of children aged 5‑17 years engaged in child labour, by sex and age
8.8
Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment
8.8.1
Fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 workers, by sex and migrant status
8.8.2
Level of national compliance with labour rights (freedom of association and collective bargaining) based on International Labour Organization (ILO) textual sources and national legislation, by sex and migrant status
8.9
By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products
8.9.1
Tourism direct GDP as a proportion of total GDP and in growth rate
8.10
Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all
8.10.1
(a) Number of commercial bank branches per 100,000 adults and (b) number of automated teller machines (ATMs) per 100,000 adults
8.10.2
Proportion of adults (15 years and older) with an account at a bank or other financial institution or with a mobile-money-service provider
8.a
8.a.1
Aid for Trade commitments and disbursements
8.b
By 2020, develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization
8.b.1
Existence of a developed and operationalized national strategy for youth employment, as a distinct strategy or as part of a national employment strategy
Goal 12
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
12.1
Implement the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries
12.1.1
Number of countries developing, adopting or implementing policy instruments aimed at supporting the shift to sustainable consumption and production
12.2
By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
12.2.1
Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP
12.2.2
Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP
12.3
By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses
12.3.1
(a) Food loss index and (b) food waste index
12.4
By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment
12.4.1
12.4.2
(a) Hazardous waste generated per capita; and (b) proportion of hazardous waste treated, by type of treatment
12.5
By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse
12.5.1
National recycling rate, tons of material recycled
12.6
Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle
12.6.1
12.7
Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities
12.7.1
Number of countries implementing sustainable public procurement policies and action plans
12.8
By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature
12.8.1
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment
12.a
Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production
12.a.1
Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing and developed countries (in watts per capita)
12.b
Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products
12.b.1
Implementation of standard accounting tools to monitor the economic and environmental aspects of tourism sustainability
12.c
Rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in accordance with national circumstances, including by restructuring taxation and phasing out those harmful subsidies, where they exist, to reflect their environmental impacts, taking fully into account the specific needs and conditions of developing countries and minimizing the possible adverse impacts on their development in a manner that protects the poor and the affected communities
12.c.1
Amount of fossil-fuel subsidies (production and consumption) per unit of GDP
SDG 14 targets covered
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Deliverables & Timeline
Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
Feedback
Action Network
Share
Timeline
Entity
Region
- Global
Geographical coverage
Other beneficiaries
• Citizens looking for a sustainable way to dispose of the clothing items they no longer need • Consumers looking for sustainable & affordable fashion worldwide • Secondhand clothes retailers, who benefit from carefully sorted secondhand items on which they can build profitable and sustainable businesses • Humana People to People development project users, who benefit from initiatives related to education, health, sustainable agriculture, community development and emergency relief that are partly financed by the revenues generated by Humana’s secondhand clothes social businesses. • Stakeholders from the fashion industry, who can rely on Humana’s experience in textile lifecycle extension to shape circular economy efforts • Policymakers, who benefit from Humana’s advocacy efforts (often implemented through sectorial organizations)
More information
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