Is Ghana becoming the graveyard for fast fashion from the Northern countries? This question has sparked intense debates in this West African country, which is one of the largest importers of second-hand clothing in the world.
Is Ghana becoming the graveyard of fast fashion from northern countries? This question has sparked intense debates in this West African country, which is one of the largest importers of second-hand clothing in the world. A new report adds fuel to the fire. Commissioned by a traders’ association, the study claims that only 5% of the millions of tons of imported clothing are actually waste.
The trade of second-hand clothing is beneficial for Ghana. This is the essence of the new report published by the Ghana Used Clothes Dealer Association.
“So many households depend on this market, it’s a generational economy. It’s a trade that does not discriminate: low-income individuals participate in it, as well as those with medium and high incomes,” observes Marvin Awosu, a member of the association and an importer of used clothing.
What is the definition of waste?
5% waste is very little. To arrive at this figure, the authors have worked on the very definition of what constitutes waste when it comes to clothing.
“Our definition of waste is a garment that cannot be sold. So if the sellers are unable to sell it, they consider it as waste. But even these unsellable garments, the sellers tell us that sometimes they recycle them into other things, such as rags, dusters, etc,” explains Stephen Odonkor, the lead author of the report.
The report is motivated by one main goal: to discourage northern countries from their intention to ban the export of second-hand clothing to the African continent. This ban was proposed to the European Union in March by the French government.