Economies of moral fibre? Recycling charity clothing into emergency aid blankets

Abstract

This article examines the complex interweaving of moral values, material goods and market economies arising where unwanted clothing donated to Western charities is transformed through industrial fibre recycling in India into millions of aid blankets distributed worldwide as humanitarian relief. The commoditisation of the donor’s gift, its destruction, transformation and subsequent use as a gift once more reveals how the moral values of Western donors, charities, relief agencies and aid recipients are negotiated through the global used-textile economy. In contrast to contemporary moral discourses on thrift and sustainable consumption practices that promote values associated with longevity, durability and resourcefulness, the ephemerality of the aid blanket made from recycled fibres materialises the tensions and uncertainties surrounding social and economic reconstruction in crisis zones. Through its qualities and affordances, the material is deeply implicated in the construction of moral economies.