In Australia, we do not know the volume of unsold stock, but it is possible to estimate it using the EU percentages.

In 2024, Australia imported 1.55 billion units of clothing into the country. This figure only includes large shipments to retailers, not individual purchases by consumers or smaller restocking by brands.

One industry estimate suggests at least 3% of all clothing imported into Australia remains unsold, equivalent to 47 million units or 11,700 tonnes. It is unknown how much of this would be destroyed.

However, applying European estimates to the Australian market would produce a less optimistic picture. If the European estimates apply, with 4-9% of unsold clothing destroyed annually, then this would equate to 62-132 million units of clothing destroyed each year in Australia, or 15,500-33,000 tonnes.

Whatever the precise figure is, we know there are tens of thousands of tonnes of unsold stock in Australia. This represents a colossal waste of the materials, energy and labour that went into making and shipping them.

The Australian government has an opportunity to strengthen the rules on “product stewardship” – where businesses take responsibility for a product across its entire lifecycle – and encourage retailers to keep new, unsold clothing out of landfill.