Ghana: Fast fashions dumping ground

 

As global consumers increasingly dispose of their worn or unwanted fast fashion clothing, much of it is ending up in markets across Africa, including Ghana's second largest city, Kumasi.

  Ghana has become a significant importer of second-hand clothing from the West, receiving hundreds of thousands of tonnes every year. Clothing waste accounts for 4% of the world's global emissions, and yet, it is often shipped off to countries like Ghana instead of being properly recycled. In Kumasi's Kejetia market, reportedly the largest open air market in West Africa, vast piles of clothing are sorted, cleaned, and resold. Many traders have made a living from these imported second-hand garments. The trade is seen by some as a form of neo-colonialism, as the West uses African countries as a dumping ground for their unwanted items. These imported clothes are often unsuitable for the local climate and some argue it's hindering the development of a home-grown textile industry. Yet, despite these criticisms, for many Ghanaians, second-hand clothes are their only affordable option. Due to import tariffs and the high cost of production, locally-made clothing is often out of reach for most citizens. The challenge for the West is how to address its overproduction of cheap clothing and the resulting waste, in a way that respects and benefits developing countries like Ghana, rather than treating them as convenient outlets for its cast-offs. At the same time, the African continent has the opportunity to harness its own textile and clothing industry, and needs support to develop sustainable and economically viable strategies to do so. Efforts are being made on a global scale to mitigate the damage caused by the fast fashion industry, with increased awareness and movements toward more sustainable practices. But with global clothing production doubling between 2000 and 2014, and showing no sign of slowing, more drastic measures are needed. Second-hand clothing trade has been a controversial issue with differing viewpoints. Some see it as providing affordable clothing to those in need, others see it as hindering local industry growth, whilst also highlighting the unsustainability of the fast fashion industry. One thing is clear, fast fashion’s impact on our world, and specifically countries like Ghana, is not without major implications and something that needs serious re-evaluation.