Worn Threads, Worn Lives: Navigating Opportunity and Crisis in Pakistan’s Used Clothing Trade
— From Trade Hub to Environmental Dilemma, Exploring How Pakistan Balances Opportunity and Cost The Gains and Losses of Pakistan’s Second-Hand Clothing Industry: A Microcosm of the Global Circular Economy Introduction In Karachi, Pakistan’s largest port city, rows upon rows of shipping containers filled with second-hand clothing stretch as far as the eye can see. These garments have arrived from every corner of the globe, waiting to be unpacked, sorted, and redistributed. In the factories of Faisalabad, women sit in long lines, deftly sorting through piles of clothing by fabric type and condition — repeating the process day in and day out. These scenes vividly portray the scale and rhythm of Pakistan’s second-hand clothing industry. Pakistan, a South Asian country, plays a unique dual role in the global trade of second-hand clothes: it is both a major importer and a re-export hub. Beneath this seemingly booming trade, however, lies a series of complex issues. On one hand, the ind...