Charity shops across Ireland processed over one million bin bags of unusable clothing last year, handling roughly 18% of the nation’s total waste textiles while straining resources meant for charitable causes.
Textile Waste Burdens Retail Shops
Charity Retail Ireland reported that its member organizations handled more than 11 tonnes of unsold textiles throughout 2025, according to findings published by RTÉ. Unwanted garments and textile waste have become a major operational challenge for retail networks, which are primarily established to raise funds for social welfare initiatives. “a resource-intensive process that detracts efforts from the causes charitable organisations were established to support” Charity Retail Ireland said
Data from the Natex 2.0 report, commissioned by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, indicates that Ireland generates 31kg of post-consumer textile waste per head. This figure stands at nearly double the broader European average of 16kg per capita.
Charity Shops Generated €73 Million in Sales Revenue
Despite the influx of poor-quality donations, the charity retail sector maintained high commercial activity last year. The Charity Retail Ireland Impact Report revealed that 407 participating shops generated €73 million in sales revenue during 2025.
| Metric | 2025 Figure |
|---|---|
| Unsold Textiles Processed | 11 tonnes (over 1 million bin bags) |
| Second-Hand Items Sold | Over 10 million items |
| Total Retail Revenue | €73 million |
| Customer Transactions | Over 10 million |
Organizations including Barnardos, the Irish Cancer Society, the Simon Community, and the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul operated these storefronts through a collective workforce of 5,000 volunteers, 800 employees, and 1,000 workers across Community Employment and Tús programmes. The resale operations diverted 21 tonnes of waste from landfills and prevented over 106,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.
Calls for Policy Support
Charity Retail Ireland chair Mark Sweeney said that while the sector demonstrates practical contributions to the circular economy, rising operational costs and unmanageable volumes of low-grade donations continue to apply pressure.
For decades, the sector has shown what a practical circular economy looks like, delivering real social, economic and environmental value. These findings demonstrate just how much charity retail contributes across people, planet and prosperity. Charity Retail Ireland
said Mark Sweeney, Chair of Charity Retail Ireland.
Mr Sweeney advised the public to assess the condition of items prior to donation by considering whether the garment is suitable to give directly to a neighbour or friend.
Mr Sweeney said that every charity sorts through what they receive as donations and that Charity Retail Ireland is very grateful for every donation it receives, as it is what keeps the charities going and raises the funds for the work that they do. He said all those clothes are processed and that every item that has a value that can be resold is resold.
Mr Sweeney told RTÉ, adding that unusable items are redirected to partners for remanufacturing, recycling, or downcycling.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
