Textile recyclers depend on overseas trade for the bulk of their business. Among the problems listed in an MRW phone survey of textile exporters were unstable currencies, endless bureaucratic hurdles, corrupt officials, obstructive legislation, and civil wars, to name a few. The advantages, however, must clearly outweigh the complications. Export figures reveal strong growth for the trade in recent years. Gerald Cohen, president of The Reclamation Association, reckons that more than half the material processed by UK companies goes abroad. "In the last 10 years the second hand market has taken off, and about 60-70 percent is now exported." Britain's used clothing exporters take a guarded approach to revealing information on the amounts of textiles they export. However, figures compiled by the Central Statistical Office reveal a particularly large rise over the past five years.
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