The second-hand clothing trade is an important supply chain connecting developed and developing countries and a valuable clothing consumption alternative for people experiencing economic decline, poverty and low purchasing power. Customers in underdeveloped African countries can also have access to fashion products from global sources.
Citizens have access to job opportunities in trade, distribution, repairs, laundry services and upcycling. Africans are enriched with new skills and knowledge of the trade, which can help grow and strengthen small- to medium-sized enterprises. But is second-hand clothing recycling a reliable component of the circular economy? There are some serious environmental challenges because unsold and used garments end up polluting different areas.
If the clothing is not made of quality materials, they will not be re-purchased and instead a significant portion is thrown out as waste, clogging landfills, lakes, rivers, sewers, and oceans. Further, according to the Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) and the Boston Consulting Group's 2017 Pulse of the Fashion Industry (PFI) study, the global textiles and clothing industry consumed 79 billion cubic meters of water, produced 1.715 million tons of CO2 emissions, and 92 million tons of waste in 2015.
It was also predicted that by 2030, these figures will have increased by at least 50%.
In 2019, Kenya received 185,000 tons of second-hand clothing. Local sources say 30–40% of such clothing is of such poor quality that it can't be resold. This suggests that between 55,500 and 74,000 tons of it were textile waste. A study showed that when Ghanaian consumers are educated on the effects of second-hand clothing on the environment, their attitudes and consumption intentions could be reduced or decreased.
What are the solutions? What are new technologies and approaches for second-hand clothing waste? How can global fashion products become more sustainable?
References:
An assessment of Africa’s second-hand clothing value chain: a systematic review and research opportunities
An assessment of Africa’s second-hand clothing value chain: a systematic review and research opportunities - Peter Davis Sumo, Ishmael Arhin, Richard Danquah, Samuel Kortu Nelson, Lydia Osarfo Achaa, Chiamaka Nneoma Nweze, Liling Cai, Xiaofen Ji, 2023 (sagepub.com)
Consumer attitude and disposal behaviour to second-hand clothing in Ghana
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468227623003423
What Goes Around Comes Around: How The False Myth of Second-Hand Market Circularity Impacts African Countries
https://aaeafrica.org/regional/what-goes-around-comes-around-how-the-false-myth-of-second-hand-market-circularity-impacts-african-countries
Submitted August 07, 2024 at 09:07AM by RoBocracy_Now032 https://ift.tt/LyaX0Wp
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