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by nradov 1212 days ago
Most of those countries had craft clothing production, hardly anything that could be legitimately called an industry.

You haven't proposed a viable alternative. Should developed countries voluntarily stop exporting used clothing? Would that actually make people in poor countries better off?

2 comments

> You haven't proposed a viable alternative.

I was explaining the problem and now not solving it is my fault.

> Should developed countries voluntarily stop exporting used clothing? Would that actually make people in poor countries better off?

Yeah, that's what the developing country said in this instance. They passed their own laws to prevent import.

And the charity promised to use the shoes for an experiment in recycling which would have brought knowledge benefits at least even if not producing a superior product. They clearly defrauded their donors regardless of Indonesian trade policies.

Why don't developed countries reuse the clothing there? Save the shipping. Maybe force the stores also to sell second-hand clothes with new clothes.
Government can't reasonably force stores to sell particular products. Most don't even have space for that. And outside of a few fashion items, used clothes have almost no value in developed countries anymore. They can barely be given away. Many are simply shredded for use as rags.