The Textile Recycling Association (TRA) welcomes the growing interest in the global trade in used clothing and the wider conversation this prompts around waste, sustainability, and environmental justice.
Recent reporting on textile waste in Ghana draws attention to a pressing global challenge: the need for investment in waste and recycling infrastructure, particularly in countries where rapid urbanisation and limited public services create systemic constraints. However, the presence of discarded garments should not be used to discredit the enormous environmental and social value of the second-hand clothing trade.
Textile materials, like all products, will eventually reach the end of their useful life. But second-hand garments typically experience far more intensive use in countries such as Ghana than they ever would in the Global North — being worn, repaired, reworked and resold through intricate, informal economies. In Accra’s Kantamanto Market, for example, the reuse system has been described by a GIZ study (commissioned by the German Government’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development) as “a well-organised and closed system with clear rules, task distributions, and hierarchies”, and “a prime example for a circular economy.”
The environmental benefits of clothing reuse are profound and often overlooked. It has been estimated that the production and global trade of new clothing accounts for between 2% and 8% of total global carbon emissions, making it the fourth most environmentally impactful industry worldwide, after housing, transport and food (European Environment Agency, 2022). Producing just 1kg of cotton requires around 10,000 litres of water (WaterFootprint.org), and poor management of cotton agriculture is widely cited as the main cause of the near-disappearance of the Aral Sea — one of the greatest environmental disasters of the last century.
Moreover, the fashion industry is estimated to be responsible for 20% of all global freshwater pollution, largely due to toxic dyes and chemicals released during fabric processing (Fixing Fashion Report, 2018). In some parts of the world, rivers visibly change colour depending on the latest seasonal dye batches — a stark reminder of the unseen costs of fast fashion.
In contrast, buying second-hand clothing avoids these environmental burdens. A recent study by the European Recycling Industries Confederation (EuRIC) found that buying used garments has a climate impact 70 times lower than purchasing new.
We also wish to highlight the following headline points:
- Waste contamination rates in imported used clothing bales going into Accra are low and estimated to be about 1.2% according to research by GIZ Germany, * whilst research for the Ghana Used Clothing Dealers Association suggests that 56% of retailers reporting 1% or less waste in their clothing bales. **
- The total amount of textile waste generated in Kantamanto market is between 5 tonnes and 53 tonnes per week (far lower than the 100 tonnes per day quoted in the article) and that around 50% of this is tailoring waste. *
- Textile waste makes up just 1.7-2.2% of all waste in Accra and a small minority of that would viably be second-hand clothing. **
- In Ghana, the trade supports 2.5 million jobs. **
- Affordable clothing: SHC meets clothing needs for about 95% of the Ghanaian population. **
The Textile Recycling Association continues to call for the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes in the UK to ensure the full lifecycle of textiles is considered. However, it is essential that EPR policies strengthen — rather than hinder — international reuse systems and provide targeted investment to help Global South countries manage end-of-life materials effectively.
The global second-hand clothing trade is one of the most effective tools we have for reducing the environmental footprint of fashion. This must be recognised and placed at the heart of discussions on circularity, trade, and environmental equity.
ENDS
Issued by:
Alan Wheeler – Chief Executive, Textile Recycling Association
E-mail: al**********@*************************on.org.
* Information taken from the GIZ report (see below)
** Information from the Ghana Used Clothing Dealers Association (see below).
Further Information:
To view the original article in the Guardian (click here).
This statement is in response to an article published in the Guardian –
GIZ report – Used Textiles In Kantamanto Market can be found here.
https://www.textilbuendnis.com/en/downloads/ (scroll to Circular Economy section).
Ghana Used Clothing Dealers Association – https://www.linkedin.com/company/ghana-used-clothing-dealers-association/posts/?feedView=all
