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Old shoes dumped on the outskirts of Petroșani City
It should be an idyllic countryside scene — but instead of a sea of grass
what lies before them is an unsightly mound of shirts
The clothes were “dumped here over time,” explains Vasile
a 50-year-old whose family lives next to the massive garbage pile
one of many blighting the region known as the Jiu Valley
he and other locals on the outskirts of the impoverished city of Petrosani turn to the discarded clothing as a free source of fuel
They are so accustomed to burning old clothes that they have a classification system for which are most desirable
with blue jeans at the top (they burn slow and hot) and shoes at the bottom (they emit terrible fumes)
“That black smoke from chimneys is from clothes and shoes,” Vasile told a reporter who visited him at home on a cold day
reveals labels written in a foreign language: German
That’s because this illegal dump is the endpoint of a cross-border secondhand clothing trade with a dirty secret
A pile of trash on the outskirts of Petroșani City in Romania
Europe’s used clothing industry pitches itself as an environmentally-friendly fix for the era of fast fashion
and disposed of at an increasingly rapid rate
streetside collection bins for used clothes are often plastered with do-gooder slogans such as “Join in
for the sake of the environment!” The implication is that clothes placed in these bins will be donated for a worthy cause
But the reality is not always as pretty — or as green
the highest quality clothes collected in the donation bins are resold locally
are exported to Eastern Europe or developing countries in Africa
which import large volumes of used clothing from Europe
But less is known about the flow of worn textiles within the European Union itself
An investigation by OCCRP and its Romanian partner RISE offers insight into how the well-intentioned trade often backfires
with uneven legislation and weak oversight creating channels for large amounts of textile waste to flow untraced across frontiers and
Old clothes are sometimes dumped in the Jiu river in Southern Romania
The Jiu Valley is a hub for companies importing secondhand clothes into Romania
But 14 court complaints obtained by OCCRP and RISE alleged that some Romanian importers have been glossing over these distinctions
which were filed by environmental and consumer protection authorities in the past four years
accuse 11 Romanian firms of illegally importing unsorted textile waste and discarding much of it improperly
(All of these cases are still being investigated by prosecutors
and no charges have been filed against any of the companies
although civil fines have been issued in some cases.)
“Huge amounts of waste end up being illegally disposed of in landfills or are simply thrown on the riverbeds,” reads one complaint
the main river is “practically choked with textile waste”
Most clothing produced today consists largely of synthetic materials
meaning that the tossed items are effectively a form of plastic pollution that can taint soil and waterways
“The synthetic nature of the clothes is really a problem because there's no path for it to degrade,” said Madeleine Cobbing
a Researcher for Greenpeace Germany's Overconsumption & Detox My Fashion Campaign
who has authored a report on used clothing imports in East Africa
they'll all be breaking up into pieces and forming microplastic fibers
It'll be getting into the food chain.”
Secondhand clothes from Europe being sold at a market in Nairobi
As fast-fashion giants churn out increasingly cheap clothes
more and more people are buying them — and discarding them
Per capita consumption of clothing in the EU has increased some 20 percent between 2003 and 2018
the EU has tried to reduce clothing waste by encouraging reuse
an average of 38 percent of used clothing in the EU is collected for reuse and recycling
all member states will be required to collect used textiles separately from other trash
which should increase this figure significantly
But the fate of what is donated is often unclear
some 10 percent of donated clothes are resold locally in the same country
while another 10 percent is sold on to other EU countries and the rest goes abroad
and then they export it to the next person who picks up what they like
and then the last person has the problem,” explained Ola Bąkowska
an expert on textiles from the Circle Economy
an organization that produces reports on economic strategies to reduce waste
Many of the Baltic and Eastern European countries that import used clothing from Western member states are also major exporters
meaning that after they sort out the best items the rest is sent onwards to buyers outside the EU
importing tens of thousands of tons of used clothing annually and exporting only a small fraction
an average of 58,000 tons of used clothing was trucked into Romania annually between 2020 and 2023
The top supplier during this period was Germany
which is one of the world’s leading exporters of used clothing and has accounted for some 50 percent of Romania's imports over the past four years
While there are no precise figures on how many of these incoming shipments do not meet Romanian standards (which require incoming textiles to be sanitized and sorted so they do not include any non-textile items)
data and documents obtained by RISE show that border police have stopped trucks carrying what was deemed to be illegal textile waste on a nearly monthly basis between 2021 and 2023
mostly coming from EU countries like Germany
There are likely far more trucks carrying dirty clothes into Romania that are never stopped
since the Environmental Guard Agency only works during daytime hours
some even carry two sets of documents to present to different Romanian enforcement bodies
who only have the authority to inspect incoming waste
might be given documents saying the truck is carrying secondhand clothes
But when the Consumer Protection Authority
responsible for inspecting secondhand clothes
they'll be handed different documents claiming the truck is carrying waste
Of the trucks that were successfully stopped at the border
one was found to be carrying clothing that was “dirty
with mold,” reads a document issued by the Environmental Guard Agency
Another shipment included non-textile items like CDs
Items presented as secondhand clothing discovered by Romania's Consumer Protection Authority during a 2022 raid of an incoming shipment from Hungary
“These secondhand goods are actually waste in disguise,” the National Environmental Guard Commissioner
There is a strong economic rationale for sending shipments like this to poorer EU countries like Romania
the cost of waste disposal runs from 200 to 300 euros per ton — roughly 10 times higher than the cost of doing it in Romania
according to a 2022 internal report from Romania’s Ministry of Internal Affairs
“We have a situation where waste generators from abroad send waste to Romania to get rid of what they don’t want to eliminate on their territory because it is more expensive to do it there than it is in Romania,” said Corlan
Purchasing large shipments of “mixed” textiles is very cheap
and a small percentage of those textiles can be recovered and sold in secondhand shops
When the companies need to deal with the clothes that are too dirty to sell
they offload it onto Romania’s poorest communities
“This portion is loaded into black bags that are sold at a low price to various poor communities,” he said
after which the rest of the worst-quality imported products end up being thrown into the fields or into waterways.”
To understand how the used clothing trade can run awry
reporters traced a supply chain from one German exporter to a Romanian importer that environmental inspectors accused of illegally importing and discarding waste
a private firm named Baliz Textilwerke that collects clothing from thousands of bins in western and southern Germany
sets out a laudable mission statement on its website
(Baliz Textilewerke did not respond to multiple requests for comment sent by OCCRP and RISE.)
“We have made it our task to recycle wearable clothing and shoes and thus make our contribution to environmental protection,” it reads
“The mountains of rubbish are constantly increasing.”
It says on its website that it separates clothes from other items
before sending the shipments to countries including Romania
But according to inspection reports and transport documents
Baliz Textilwerke’s exports to at least four Romanian companies in the Jiu Valley included used clothing mixed in with other items
used or very used leather goods and household goods” — which
None of these Romanian importers Baliz Textilwerke sold to were authorized by the Romanian waste registry to import waste when the investigations started
Inspectors also described opening several bales of clothing during raids and finding products “in different stages of use
and some of them ruptured,” even though some of Baliz Textilwerke’s shipments were accompanied by certificates stating they had been disinfected
one of the firms listed as responsible for the cleaning
a German company called WISAG Gebäudereinigung Hessen Nord GmbH & Co
told RISE that it had only disinfected the exterior of the boxes and bags containing the textiles – not the actual clothing inside
The company said it wasn’t even equipped to disinfect or sanitize textiles
One of Baliz Textilwerke’s major customers in Romania is the Jiu Valley-based Emily SRL
which imports thousands of tons of textiles annually from Baliz
Emily runs secondhand clothing shops in cities around Romania
where it sells some of the clothes it imports
But not all the textiles make it to these shops
Environmental Guard Inspectors raided the company’s depot twice in 2022 and again in 2023
with each inspection ending with a legal complaint filed with prosecutors and fines of up to $50,000 for breaking the environmental legislation
Prosecutors told RISE they had opened two cases against Emily after receiving the complaints
but are still investigating whether the company had committed a crime
(No indictment has been issued in either case.)
after sorting out the sellable items from Baliz Textilwerke’s imports
the company was left with large quantities of unusable textiles and other products — over 100 tons in 2022
for example — that could not be sold in its clothing shops
The company was not equipped to import such waste at the time — that would have required being registered on a platform run by environmental authorities
and proving that it had the facilities or contracts to ensure the waste would be properly recycled instead of dumped
Not only did Emily lack such recycling facilities
but only a small portion of the waste it generated was sent to recycling firms
the company was storing its waste in a two-story warehouse and eventually “hand over” or sell the bags to “unauthorized individuals” for as little as 20 euro cents
The bags would later be “disposed of illegally in landfills by these people
or simply thrown away on the riverbeds…or on the side of the roads where the waste is set on fire,” the files note
Reporters who visited one of Emily’s depots in Uricani city found a one-story building filled to capacity with bags and clothes
the windows were sealed shut with black plastic
After requesting an interview with the company’s owner
reporters were told by a local manager that “the boss is not available.”
An Emily SRL warehouse filled with bags and clothes in Uricani
While Emily has since become a registered waste importer
a 2024 raid by the Consumer Protection Agency found that problems continue; its washing capacity was far lower than the volume of clothes it imported
leading to fines amounting to around $6,000
A representative of Emily said the company had appealed the imposition of these fines
and would not comment on the case until a final decision had been reached
"All imports of used textile came from authorized companies from Germany,” the company said
“The reception of the products was made in Romania and in case the imports contains other used products
All the imports from Germany were accompanied by certificates
Emily Company sorted the products depending on the quality status."
At least 10 other companies in the country — half of them in the Jiu Valley
one of Romania’s poorest regions — face similar allegations of illegally importing waste under the guise of secondhand clothing
Three of those importers are also alleged to have sent the unusable items directly to municipal garbage depots
Humana Also Faces Accusations of Bringing Dirty Clothes Into Romania
A local company affiliated with Humana People to People
a global leader in the secondhand clothing industry
has also failed environmental inspections on the clothes it has brought into Romania
Humana People to People is a Swiss-registered nonprofit that works with a network of affiliated companies registered locally
the network is present in 46 countries on five continents and uses its vintage clothing stores to fund development projects in Africa
Romanian officials stopped a 15-ton shipment from Humana People to People Bulgaria Ltd
The truck entering Romania was accompanied by certificates stating the clothing had been disinfected in Bulgaria by a company specialized in killing fleas and cockroaches
and chewing gum on the soles of the shoes.”
The shipment was declared waste and blocked from entering Romania
where it had been bound for Humana’s local depot
Prosecutors are now building a case against Humana People to People Romania after a 2023 raid on its main depot in Romania when they found 290 tons of secondhand clothing
half of this volume being textiles that were torn and dirty and lacked proper cleaning and disinfection certificates
The Consumer Protection Authority has also levied civil fines against Humana for the past three consecutive years for violations of protocols for sorting
(Humana is appealing the fines in court.)
The “clothes were washed only on paper,” said former Consumer Protection Authority President Horia Constantinescu
who was part of the team involved in the depot raid
from affiliated entities in Austria and Slovenia
were turned back at the Romanian border for incorrect or inadequate documentation of the goods inside
Humana People to People declined to comment on specific cases because they were still under investigation
but it said it complied with all relevant regulations on the import of secondhand clothes into Romania
“We expect a positive outcome of the investigation,” a spokesperson said
Since legal definitions and reporting requirements vary across EU member states
reliable data about the bloc’s secondhand clothing trade is hard to come by
“There's a huge lack of knowledge” about the sector
an expert with the European Environment Agency which has produced several reports on the textile industry in recent years
and the trade flows were much more complex than we ever envisaged.”
One factor that contributes to the type of dumping seen in Romania and elsewhere is the lack of a clear definition of “textile waste” in EU law
meaning the stage at which used clothing is considered waste differs between member states
There are also no common criteria for what steps must be taken for a piece of used clothing to be prepared for reuse
donated clothing is considered waste until it undergoes sorting
But cleaning — which is mandated by Romania for the item to become secondhand clothing — is not required
“There are no rules in Germany about washing textiles before they are exported,” said Viola Wohlgemuth
a former Greenpeace campaigner specializing in textile waste
“Only shipping containers are fumigated in accordance with international transport rules and port rules
formerly occupied by a company involved in the secondhand textile trade
is now filled with thousands of bags containing textiles
This mismatch is visible in some of Baliz Textilwerke’s exports to Romania
which inspectors found were accompanied by two sets of documents — one labeling them as textile waste and another as used clothing
The same issue applies to exports shipped outside the EU
a large amount of the EU’s exports are labeled under the broad category of “worn textiles,” which often includes large amounts of unsorted items that are unfit for reuse
The European Commission is working on a new strategy that would develop specific EU-level criteria to distinguish between waste and secondhand textile products
A proposed revision of the Waste Framework Directive would also introduce new rules
to ensure that what is shipped as used textiles are in fact fit for reuse
Such labeling would be of particular help at the start of next year
when EU members will be required to collect textiles separately from other waste – a measure projected to increase the collection rates of used clothing but also see an overall decrease in the quality and a need for more rigorous sorting
“There's a huge challenge with lack of sorting capacity and lack of recycling capacity
This is what creates these trade flows,” said Mortensen
the level and quality of sorting is linked to the price a buyer is willing to pay
explained Bąkowska from the Circle Economy
you get a little bit of everything… one bale is going to be better and one bale is going to be worse.”
Romania is drafting legislation that aims to better control the flow of secondhand goods into the country and will require importers to have facilities such as industrial washing systems
and to return any unusable items to the supplier
“If the situation of secondhand products will be regulated and if the procedure for issuing the environmental authorisation for the waste component will be regulated
Romania will be much less attractive for illegal waste disposal,” said Corlan
he said: “The Romanian public budget bears this expense of cleaning the areas and storing waste in landfills.”
Abandoned clothing and other items dumped in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Petroșani
the prospect of reforms leaves him with mixed feelings
He says he resents the Jiu Valley’s textile importing companies for the mess they create in the valley
but he and other hundreds of families have now come to depend on the fact that there will be an ample supply of dumped textiles to burn every winter
"Do you think I prefer burning shoes instead of wood?” he said
“I do not… It stinks But at least we have means to heat the house."
Correction: This article was updated to correctly state that Humana People to People Romania SRL
not the affiliated Swiss-based umbrella group Humana People to People
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This year the government will allocate state aid worth RON 143.4 million (EUR 32.3 million) in order to properly shut down the uncompetitive coal mines of the Valea Jiului Petrosani Mine Closure National Company
State aid is borne entirely by the state budget
Small and Medium Enterprises and Business Environment
and it was approved by the European Commission in 2012
Petrosani National Coal Company (CNH) owns seven coal production units, respectively Lonea, Petrila, Livezeni, Vulcan, Paroseni, Lupeni and Uricani.
The mines within CNH considered to be uncompetitive are Petrila
The total amount will be split for the energy coal delivered by the mines undergoing final closure process
which will receive RON 93.3 million (EUR 20.9 million) to cover the current production’s losses
respectively for the units in the final closing process
which will be allocated RON 50.1 million (EUR 11.2 million) for costs not related to the current production
Moreover, the amount of RON 25.8 million (EUR 5.8 million) will be used for compensatory wages, while for the works related to the mine closing will be used RON 24.3 million (EUR 54.6 million).
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Five decades after the peak of coal mining in the towns in the Jiu Valley of Romania’s Hunedoara County
that economic activity is reaching its final years
14 mines and several factories are located in the coal basin
Petrila and Petroșani in the eastern part of the valley and Aninoasa
We visited some of the affected towns as well as a former mine and educational institutions to understand what the future holds after coal there
A turning point for the country's industry was the so-called "Mineriada" - a term used for each of the six consecutive violent political interventions by the Valley’s miners in Bucharest
The most severe of these occurred in 1990 and became a key event in Romanian history
students and teachers against the new government established after the December 1989 revolution that overthrew communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu were brutally suppressed
The protesters demanded the replacement of Communist-era officials and the appointment of people who had no part in the party
Then-President Ion Iliescu called on the miners from the Jiu Valley
against the protesters in University Square
The resulting brutal repression left four people dead
and over 1,300 people illegally imprisoned
Images of the miners arriving in Bucharest by train
quickly replaced the idealized working-class image of the miners of communism
Jiu experienced a huge economic shock that led to the restructuring of the industrial sector in the valley and the closure of most of the mines
almost 20,000 miners lost their jobs out of a total of 45,000 employed
the authorities offered miners compensation of between 12 and 20 times their salaries
fewer than 2,000 people work in the four remaining coal mines in the Jiu Valley
which are currently undergoing reclamation
while Vulcan and Livezeni are due to close by 2032
according to the program established by the Romanian government
the region has experienced periods of unprecedented growth and profound socio-economic crises
And while some locals still live with nostalgia for the golden age of mining
executive director of the Association for Integrated Territorial Development of the Jiu Valley
more than 70,000 people made their living thanks to the sector - because it is not just the miners
there are also other industries related to mining
it wasn't just the miners who were affected
It's an understatement to say that about the social and cultural life of the community itself because we were miners by definition and in fact our whole life – including sports
and culture - was directly related to mining."
told us how important the mining sector was in Romania
A large number of the mining industry workers have retired
Many of them have retrained in other fields
such as construction or something related to their previous profession
Ridzi gave the example of retraining in fields such as wind turbine installation
energy products and other activities in the sector
keep in mind that many of them started small businesses
These European start-up programs helped them a lot and many of them who worked in the mine started their own small businesses," he added
There is still no major investor in the area to absorb the large number of people who have left mining
There's nothing like Bosch or Volkswagen in the Jiu Valley yet
We're putting the puzzle together in small pieces."
the six affected municipalities in the valley are uniting to work together for a just transition
unions and NGOs must speak the same language and work in the same direction.
It wasn't easy to get everyone to the table
It's a very difficult process because six municipalities have six different opinions
I was one of those who fought very hard to be present and be part of the solution."
the government approved the Strategy for the Development of the Jiu Valley until 2030
Coordinated by the Association for Integrated Territorial Development
it aims to improve the standard of living and create a healthy and sustainable environment with the help of funds from the European Union.
The mayor imagines a future of Petrosani that has new industries and services
as well as the development of year-round tourism
which he believes can and should be a very important component in the local economy
we need to emphasize the university environment as much as possible
which is a plus and a competitive advantage for us as a region."
Electrical engineers Benone Croitor and Madalin Brandau work at the Livezeni mine
Both have completed the RenewAcad vocational training academy
They told Economic.bg that they would prefer to focus on the green energy sector
but there are currently no opportunities in their region
and it's another thing to be high above the ground."
They say that coal workers want change and accept it
the opportunity to work in the green industry is far from their region and their families
They are sure that if new jobs from the sector appeared locally
The legacy of the coal industry in the cities of the Jiu Valley is full of challenges for the young people there
but they have decided to find solutions now to have a better future
Education is one of the "lifeboats" in the region - in Petroşani there is a university
It trains specialists in all areas of activity specific to the mining industry
it has expanded its offer to include things like business and robotics programs
The city also houses the "Mihai Eminescu" Profiled High School with Intensive Romanian Language Studies - one of the elite high schools in the country
young people have access to a robotics laboratory where they create their own robots
which they then test out in competitions against other teams
the Association for Integrated Territorial Development supports and develops the Robotics Valley project
It was launched in 2019 and is currently running
It aims to be an innovative social enterprise
bringing together five robotics teams from the six affected coal regions in Jiu.
and it brings together several students and their mentors
who meet daily to work on developing their own robot
which is learning how to pick plastic pieces of a specific colour and place them in an indicated place
The team has already won a bunch of awards and it gets constantly renovated as new members come in and older ones graduate.
Kelemen believes that this is one of the directions for the future of the Jiu Valley and the "Robotics Valley" project is strategic and "we will do as much as possible for it."
what we want to do is create a new future for the children of the Jiu Valley
And they have already done this without European funds
so it is actually our responsibility to support them
are emerging as rising stars on the path of the Just Transition in the region."
He defines "Robotics Valley" as an honest project that comes from the heart.
The plans for the development of the project include the creation of a dedicated robotics education center, which will be housed in the former Petrila mine
The goal is to bring together teams from the valley
which can collaborate and organize workshops on hardware
The initiative is based on the experience of organizing 4 events dedicated to robotics in the Petrila mine premises
the locals aim to transform the Jiu Valley into an ecosystem of opportunities for the young generations.
It all started as a beautiful dream and turned into a way of life
we have acquired various skills that help us in our daily lives and will also help us in our future careers
which is why we always try to develop other people's mindset as much as possible and lead our community towards change," say the AlphaBit team members.
we felt that the traditional mining greeting: “Good luck!” was highly befitting to the situation as the region faces many challenges
The locals believe that it is indeed the opportunities that will help create a new identity after coal
by opening the door to new types of industries and prosperities
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Managing Authority
Neither the European Union nor the Managing Authority can be held responsible for them