I caught the second half of this documentary the other day. I've heard stories like this before - newspapers here reporting similar things. What I found kind of sad is that it kills their local clothes production - and their traditional garments and fabrics are so gorgeous.
I don't donate anymore where I don't know where my stuff is going. Twice a year we get a garment donation bag in the post, and there's a date on it when you're supposed to leave it outside your house and then it will be collected - I shouldn't wonder if that's the stuff that gets sent to Africa. I donate only to the Caritas, the same shop where I shop regularly for secondhand clothes and every now and then find some nice vintage. They have 7 shops all over Zurich alone and more in other cities. Not all shops are quite the same, one is really the super-bargain shop, two are a bit more "trendy" and "upmarket" (more labels...). I don't know if they keep all of the donations at their shops, but I regularly come across items that I have donated at my shop here, and I have seen a few in their other shops too. So this gives me some confidence that I'm supporting them here. Their profits finance charity projects and food markets for people who are on benefits, and they also employ people at the shops who wouldn't find a job otherwise. And everybody shops there - those like me looking for unusual things and wanting to spend less on "throw away fashion" as well as those who can't afford more expensive things. It works in several ways around.
