Despite currency and demand fluctuations in overseas markets, demand for used clothing from the UK has remained generally good over the past few years.

Most UK clothing material is collected via the bank system and from charity shops, although some is also collected door-to-door.

While selling second hand clothes in the UK is still an option, especially through charity shops, increasingly clothes are exported for sale in Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In addition, material which is not used for clothing can often be turned into wiping cloths and specifications have also been drawn up for these by the wiper and cloth manufacturers division of TRA.

In recent years the UK textiles industry has come under increasing pressure. Firstly, competition from sorting businesses in Eastern Europe has forced some companies to move their sorting operations out of the UK to similar regions. Meanwhile, demand from Africa and the Middle East has suffered under political instability and competition from cheap American and Far Eastern imports. And in the UK, the second hand trade has suffered from the duel problem created by the expansion of cheap clothing shops — discouraging people from buying second hand clothes while meaning clothes can be less durable when they do eventually enter the second hand market. However, despite these issues, many UK textiles companies are refusing to move out of the UK, despite frequent threats to do so — for the moment.