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John is a used textile trader and has been a BTR customer since 2003. He lives in the Republic of Togo, West Africa and runs Fashion Fair Trading Co. Ltd, which trades in used clothing, shoes and handbags.

The clothes & textiles you collect are processed by our team in Bristol, before being exported to Africa, where traders like John seek to earn a living by selling them on to the African public.

Clothing is collected from schools like yours and taken to our factory in Bristol where it is off loaded onto conveyor belts and expertly separated into grades. Grouped garments are then packed into bales to be shipped to Africa.
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The bales are loaded onto 40ft containers, before being taken to the port to be exported. The bales produced by BTR usually set off from the port of Felixstowe in Kent.
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These textiles are initially met at the
African port of Lome, by John’s customs agent, who formally accepts the shipments and ensures they clear customs. They are then stored in a warehouse, still in the bales we prepare.

John sets about sorting the bales and sells the items to other local traders. In this way, the surplus textiles from the UK help many African families to survive.

The textiles are then sold to the African public at vibrant, colourful street markets.

The cultural and geographical differences between the UK and Togo are huge, but
the process of recycling surplus textiles forms a connection between the two countries. A connection which sustains
life, provides shelter and education and
improves self-esteem.