In the past, sending used clothes to the third world was an act of charity, but now it has become an environmental and social issue. France, Sweden and Denmark proposed a ban on the export of second-hand clothes from the EU, which was discussed at the EU Environment Council on March 25. The African Secondhand Clothes Organization said the ban would affect the livelihoods of millions of people and tried its best to lobby EU countries not to support the proposal.
Clean up your own garbage
With the rise of fast fashion, the rate of throwing away clothes is also accelerating. Where do the discarded clothes go? According to an analysis by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in 2023, the EU's waste textile exports have tripled in 20 years, reaching 1.7 million tons in 2019, of which 46% was sold to Africa and 41% was sold to Asia. Some second-hand clothes are resold, some are downgraded to industrial rags or stuffing, and some end up in open landfills or discarded.
On the 25th, the European Union Environmental Council met. France, Denmark and Sweden jointly proposed to use the Basel Convention to control the import and export of second-hand clothes and require the consent of the importing country before export. The Basel Convention is a United Nations convention that regulates the transnational transfer of hazardous wastes, specifically targeting the transfer of waste by advanced countries to the third world.
The French Ministry of Environment pointed out that "Africa should not become a dumping ground for fast fashion." "Reuters" reported that Soren Jacobsen, Denmark's deputy permanent representative to the EU, pointed out at the meeting that exporting textile waste to developing countries will harm the local environment, society and health, and the EU should stop this behavior . French representatives also said that the ban will help improve the EU's own textile recycling system.
African industry leaders say the proposal will affect the livelihoods of millions of people
Swedish Climate Minister Romina Pourmokhtari went to Kenya to attend the United Nations Environment Conference at the end of February. He specially went to the banks of the Nairobi River to learn about the issue of second-hand clothes disposal. Clean Up Kenya, a local environmental organization that accompanied the visit, pointed out that Kenya imports 200,000 tons of second-hand clothes every year. They are often dirty, damaged, and have wrong sizes. They need to be modified before they can be worn, causing many problems. Waste. However, the local treatment system is insufficient and the Nairobi River has become a garbage dump. This is what the minister saw.
The EU's proposal has panicked second-hand clothing importers, who are actively meeting with representatives from other EU countries in the hope of blocking the proposal. "Reuters" reported that Teresia Wairimu Njenga, chairman of the Kenya Second-hand Clothing Recycling Association, pointed out that at least 2 million people in Kenya depend on the second-hand clothing resale industry, and the proposal will impact local livelihoods.
He tried his best to clarify that not all second-hand clothes are garbage. According to the alliance's survey in Nairobi last year (2023), only 1% to 2% of used clothes became waste.
The CEO of the Changing Market Foundation immediately countered on LinkedIn, asking everyone to see clearly what the lobbyists are trying to do and verify the data. The Change the Market Foundation also investigated the issue of second-hand clothes in 2023. The report pointed out that 20% to 50% of second-hand clothes imported to Africa ended up as garbage and could only be buried or incinerated. The EU exports up to 37 million pieces of second-hand clothes to Kenya every year. Many of the clothes are too old and dirty to be sold.
Social and environmental challenges of second-hand clothes
Second-hand clothes bring employment opportunities, but they also curb the development of local brands. Last year, the President of Kenya required that the uniforms and shoes of the military and police should be made locally and handed over to young people. The local apparel and textile industry sees this as a great opportunity to establish a "Made in Kenya" market.
Clean Up Kenya, a local environmental organization in Kenya, admitted that millions of Africans rely on the second-hand clothing industry to make a living, and that solving this problem should start from producer responsibility. Although the French proposal is directly aimed at exports, they still support it, hoping to stimulate discussions on second-hand clothes and ultimately find solutions that are beneficial to the earth.
References:
*Reuters (March 14, 2024), France proposes EU ban on exports of used clothes
*Reuters (March 26, 2024), Kenya's second-hand clothes traders lobby against EU export restrictions
*DW (October 23, 2023), Kenya: President Ruto pushes for locally-made clothing
*European Environment Agency (27 February 2023), EU exports of used textiles in Europe's circular economy
*Changing markets foundation (July 5, 2023), Waste Framework Directive a missed opportunity for textile recycling, but a glimmer of hope for reducing clothing dumped on the Global South
*Clean Up Kenya (March 19, 2024), France, Sweden, and Denmark Propose Ban on EU Second-Hand Clothing Exports
*Clean Up Kenya (March 2, 2024), Sweden's Minister for Environment and Climate Change visits 'Trashion' Ground Zero
*Clean Up Kenya (November 28, 2023), Mitumba Association of Kenya denies Second Hand Clothing imported into Kenya has any Environmental Impact
Source: Environmental Information Center
