Fashion firms tackle waste mountain

Workers sorting used clothes for packaging at a warehouse in Sant Esteve Sesrovires, on the outskirts of Barcelona, Spain. — Reuters

IN a warehouse on the outskirts of Barcelona, women stand at conveyor belts, manually sorting T-shirts, jeans and dresses from large bales of used clothing – a small step towards tackling Europe’s towering problem of discarded fashion.

Within a year, the sorting centre run by garment reuse and recycling charity Moda Re plans to double the volume it handles to 40,000 tonnes annually.