This is the first in a four-part investigative series in which CTV W5 investigates the shady underbelly of the lucrative clothing donation box industry. W5 correspondent John Woodward and producer Joseph Loiello spotlighted how some of the clothing Canadians donate to charity ends up in African markets.
This is an act of charity that many of us don’t think twice about. It’s the act of donating used clothes and other items to clothing donation bins set up in strip malls, near schools, and in urban areas across Canada.
And while many bins are connected to charities that provide these items to needy Canadians, W5’s research found that others are not.
The investigation used tracking devices associated with donated items to connect apparently charitable bins and bins meant to help local needy people to commercial organizations, and traced some of our clothing to over 7,400 people. It was taken to Tunisia in North Africa, more than a kilometer away.
January 2024 clothing box with Canadian Community Support Foundation (CCSF) logo and Canada Revenue Agency charity number. A W5 investigation found that CCSF had its charity status revoked in 2018 following an audit (CTV W5)
These players appear to be competing for the incredibly lucrative global used clothing market, with Canadian contributions amounting to more than $180 million annually.
Our investigation shows people stealing clothes boxes for money, placing bins in valuable locations against the wishes of local authorities under the cover of deceit and darkness, and even threatening rivals and government officials. It has been found that people who commit acts of violence and violence are being attracted to the area.
“If you put money in a clothing box, you can help the homeless. Maybe you need to take a cold shower and face reality.” , says Kate Baen of Charity Intelligence, a Canadian evaluation organization.
“Those are private companies. Those are private contracts. And that information is not available to the public. So the question is, what’s going on and who’s involved in this business?” ” she asked.
To find out the truth, W5 set an unusual trap using clothing as bait.
W5’s John Woodward hid GPS tracking devices inside toys and clothing, placing them inside clothing boxes across the Greater Toronto Area in January 2024 and tracking some of them to Africa (CTV W5 / Chris Gargus)
We sewed nine trackers into jacket and pant pockets, even stuffed animals, and placed them in clothing donation bins across the Greater Toronto Area.
One bin said the clothes inside would be redistributed to “those in direct need throughout the Greater Toronto Area.” The tracker inside ended up in a home in the Toronto area, but only after being sold at a thrift store.
Another trash can had a promise that donations would “make a child’s dream come true.” The tracker inside it ended up at a store that sold a lot of recycled clothing rags.
Two of our items, along with packed clothing, were tracked to an industrial yard next to a railroad line just north of Toronto, ready for transport.
And over the course of 10 months, four other trackers found among children’s toys and old clothes continued on yet another amazing journey.
Coat W5 traced from a donation box in Markham, Ontario. Via Montreal, it crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Genoa, Italy, before arriving at a clothing wholesaler in Kairouan, Tunisia (CTV W5)
One tracker made his way to Montreal, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, reached the Italian port city of Genoa, and then reached Africa.
There, in the North African country of Tunisia, 7,400 kilometers from where it started, it met up with three other trackers.
Toys and clothing W5, packed with GPS tracking devices and placed in clothing boxes, ended up scattered over 7,400 kilometers in the Greater Toronto Area and Tunisia, Africa (CTV W5)
One of the trackers ended up in Tunisia, where he was placed in a bin labeled “Used Clothing Supporting Local Charities.”
We tracked them to a market in the Tunisian city of Kairouan. There, the store owner said he buys clothing in bulk from North America and Europe without knowing what’s inside.
“We will sell what is suitable for sale in the market and distribute the rest,” he said.
Clothing market in Kairouan, Tunisia, October 2024. Two items of clothing equipped with GPS tracker W5 left in a donation box in the Greater Toronto Area were tracked by a clothing wholesaler there. (W5/Romdan Selimi)
Another tracker ended up at a state-run clothing warehouse south of the city of Sidi Bouzid. One worker said Canadian clothes are as common as those in Italy, France and Slovenia.
As if to emphasize the point, the worker wore a hat emblazoned with the Canadian flag and the logo of an Ontario company.
“Shipping containers arrive, usually containing 400kg of used clothing,” he said. “This is essentially waste from Western countries.”
None of this is foreign aid, and customers in those markets cannot get these clothes for free.
But Tunisian politician Mohamed Adel al-Hantati said that while some clothing is selling, much of it ends up in the trash.
“Most of these textile products are now disposed of as waste in landfills and estuaries,” he said.
“A significant portion of textile waste still ends up in waterways,” he says. “Polyester is a disaster.”
Tunisia introduced regulations in the 1990s to control the import of used clothing, but over time the regulations have been relaxed, leaving traders with questions about what to do with large amounts of unsold clothing, he said.
The clothes collected from donation bins in Canada are part of a large global export business. Last year alone, Canadian exporters shipped $181 million worth of used clothing overseas, according to Global Affairs Canada records.
Many of the bin operations we investigated take potential donations away from legitimate charities that raise money through bin donations, such as the Kidney Foundation of Canada.
A man wears a Montreal Canadiens hat at a clothing market in Kairouan, Tunisia, in October 2024. Canada exported $181 million of used clothing overseas in 2023 (W5 / Romdan Selimi)
Charity Intelligence offers tips on how to make sure your donations go to worthy causes, including looking up charities in Canada Revenue Agency bins and doing your research beforehand.
W5 met Toronto resident Ally Harnum, who donates clothing about three times a year, near a dumpster outside her Toronto apartment.
She said she hopes her clothes “will definitely reach the people who need them.” We will give 100% to those who need it. ”
When we told her the tracking results, she said she would try harder to find bins that were tied to reputable charities.
“For profit? I don’t think that’s right. I’m sorry. We’re donating money to get it to people who need it,” Harnum said.
For tips and other stories about donation boxes, email Jon Woodward or call 416 859 8617.
