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ecoture brand manager Caitlan Clark claims less than half of clothing collection bins belong to legitimate charity recyclers.

ecoture, an ethical and sustainable fashion platform, has launched a 'Waste not, Want not' campaign aimed at tackling textile waste.

In discussing the venture, Clark claimed she was "shocked" to discover a dark underbelly in charity bin collection.

Clark said many are fraudulently labelled collection points for commercial operators who sell “donated” items on the global second-hand clothing market.

"In one investigation, less than 20% of clothing collection bins in one area of Melbourne were found to belong to legitimate charity recyclers," she said.

"This severely impacts the ability of charities to collect stock for material aid and to raise funds to support their community work."

Waste not, Want will encourage ecoture customers to return pre-loved clothing and accessories up to 12 months after purchase.

The company will onsend suitable items to two charity partners Wear for Success and St Kilda Gatehouse.

As an incentive, customers returning pre-loved items will be rewarded with points that can be used for discounts on future purchases.

“We’ve partnered with two fantastic organisations that will absolutely be able to maximise the value of these items," Clark said.

According to ecoture, Australians are the world’s second largest consumers of clothing and textiles, purchasing 27 kilograms per person each year.

Some 23 kilograms of eventually ends up in landfill, the platform claims.

It has been estimated that only about 15% of clothing donations end up being sold locally in op shops or used for direct aid.

"The rest are sold to rag merchants or are exported to developing nations, where they ultimately become a waste burden to some of the world’s poorest countries," ecoture said in a statement.

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