As fast fashion’s waste pollutes Africa’s environment, designers in Ghana are finding a solution

Nov 29, 2024 Story by: Editor

In the bustling secondhand clothing market of Accra, Ghana, early-morning shoppers sift through heaps of garments, searching for bargains or designer treasures among the imported used apparel. Just steps away, a vibrant upcycled fashion and thrifting festival transforms discarded materials into eye-catching designs, bringing glamour and sustainability to the streets.

At the Kantamanto market, designers showcase their creativity at the Obroni Wawu October festival, which translates to “dead white man’s clothes” in Akan. Models strut down a makeshift runway wearing reimagined floral blouses, denim jeans, and leather accessories crafted from discarded textiles. Richard Asante Palmer, one of the designers participating in the event organized by the nonprofit Or Foundation, explained the initiative’s purpose: “Instead of allowing (textile waste) to choke our gutters or beaches or landfills, I decided to use it to create something … for us to use again.”

The festival sheds light on Ghana’s role as one of Africa’s largest importers of used clothing, much of which arrives from countries like the U.K., Canada, and China. While some of these items are reshipped to other markets, many are discarded due to poor quality. The Ghana Used Clothing Dealers Association reported earlier this year that 5% of imported bulk clothing is immediately unsellable, though other estimates suggest as much as 40% of weekly imports end up as waste, according to Neesha-Ann Longdon, business manager for the Or Foundation’s executive director.

Ghanaians often turn to secondhand goods, including clothing, due to their affordability and the chance to acquire designer brands otherwise out of reach. However, the growing influx of cast-off clothing overwhelms the country’s infrastructure, leading to environmental challenges. Textile waste clogs drainage systems, accumulates on beaches, and pollutes the Korle Lagoon, a key outlet for the city’s drainage into the Gulf of Guinea.

“Fast fashion has taken over as the dominant mode of production, which is characterized here as higher volumes of lower-quality goods,” Longdon said.

Local fisherman Jonathan Abbey described the toll on his livelihood, noting that textile waste frequently gets caught in his fishing nets. “Unsold used clothes aren’t even burned but are thrown into the Korle Lagoon, which then goes into the sea,” he said.

The global fast-fashion cycle exacerbates the problem, said Andrew Brooks, a King’s College London researcher and author of Clothing Poverty: The Hidden World of Fast Fashion and Second-hand Clothes. Online shopping has increased donations to charity bins in countries like the U.K., but these clothes often end up stolen or exported. “Authorities rarely investigate such theft because the clothes are seen as low-value items,” Brooks noted. Donors often assume their items will be recycled or given away locally, unaware they may be shipped overseas.

The surge of secondhand clothing imports has sparked criticism, with some African leaders rejecting the practice. In 2018, Rwanda raised tariffs on such imports, citing their negative impact on local textile industries. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni echoed these concerns last year, proposing a ban on clothing from “dead people.”

However, experts argue that trade restrictions alone won’t solve the issue. Efforts to reduce textile waste or boost African clothing production face challenges such as low profitability and limited incentives for designers.

Organizations like the Or Foundation are stepping in to address the crisis by inspiring young people and creatives to repurpose waste materials. “Fast forward to today, 2024, there are mountains of textile waste on the beaches,” said Liz Ricketts, co-founder of the Or Foundation, highlighting the worsening pollution over recent years.

Through innovative initiatives like Obroni Wawu October, Ghana seeks to turn its textile waste problem into an opportunity for sustainable development and creative expression. Source: Yahoo Life