Why perfectly good clothes end up in landfill — and what we do about it.

Every season, factories across Thailand and Vietnam over-produce. Cancelled orders, surplus runs, and unsold stock pile up by the tonne. Most of it is burned or buried. We think that's absurd. Here's how Orangeba turns that waste into wardrobes.

The Scale of the Problem

The fashion industry produces roughly 10 billion garments annually, yet 92 million tonnes of textile waste ends up in landfills each year. About 30% of all clothing manufactured is never sold—it becomes deadstock. Factories destroy perfectly good clothes because storing inventory costs more than making new ones.

Why This Happens

Fashion brands over-order to hedge against uncertain demand. When demand doesn't materialize, retailers return unsold goods to factories. Rather than managing warehouse costs or finding alternative markets, factories often choose the cheapest option: incineration or landfill.

The Environmental Cost

• Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water globally
• It takes 2,700 liters of water to produce one cotton shirt
• Synthetic fabrics in landfills persist for hundreds of years

How Orangeba Rescues This

We work directly with factories in Thailand and Vietnam to intercept deadstock before it's destroyed. We don't make anything new from scratch—we give rescued fabric a second life as affordable, beautiful fashion. Same quality, same designs, zero waste.