By Julie Lebreton

A recent report from ITV News once again uncovered the shocking reality of the UK’s fast fashion habits. But this time, its findings were somewhat unexpected. While many view recycling as the best way of combatting overconsumption, in reality, the second-hand clothes we are exporting to countries such as Africa are causing an “environmental catastrophe” on the other side of the world and ending up in huge landfills.

For example, Accra has the largest second-hand clothes market in the world and their biggest supplier is the UK. Historically, the pre-loved clothes they received from the UK were re-sold in local markets and provided huge economic value to the traders. But now these garments have been replaced by containers of thrown away fast fashion — most of this clothing does not biodegrade. It’s highly flammable, and the man-made fibres and dyes are environmentally hazardous for the land and the sea. But still 100 containers are arriving every week. “In the name of recycling – the world’s poorest people are having the textile waste from the world’s richest people dumped on them.”

Clothes do not get recycled the way you think; the system is broken due to an overflow of garments.

New clothes are becoming cheaper than used ones, and the quantity of clothes purchased does not stop growing. Globally, our love of fashion generates one garbage truck full of textile waste every second. We have the ability - if not the obligation - to change this and disrupt how we go about purchasing, using, and reusing the garments we consume. According to The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, less than 1% of our clothes are being recycled today, and if we were to continue on that path, it is predicted that by 2025 the weight of garments produced would equal the weight of the world population today. However, do we know what happens to the 1% we do recycle? Is recycling any good, or is it just a means of protecting us from the truth?

We need to tackle plastic and textile pollution at its source, meaning us and the industry that puts it there. Textile waste has increased by 811% since 1960, as stated by the Environment Protection Agency. The sheer amount of products fast-fashion brands churn out is causing irreversible harm to both planet and people. Clothes used to be made with the principal focus being durability. Nowadays, fast-fashion items serve the purpose of being an object of desire: it is a means of bringing the latest trends to the shops in a matter of weeks. The industry is designed to be continually changing, switching seasons so frequently that consumers feel out of fashion before having even washed their newest T-shirt. Industry fast-fashion giants such as Zara, H&M provide us with ever-changing styles - up to 52 micro-seasons a year. It is estimated that more than half of the ‘fast-fashion’ production is disposed of under a year. (McKinsey, Style that’s sustainable: A new fast-fashion formula (2016))

Our consumer behaviour in this capitalistic society has led to the creation of the two most significant concerns within the fashion industry: too many clothes are being consumed, and quality is negatively affected. Over-consumption has become a deeply-rooted issue, and individuals often overlook the impact of their actions when being so detached, buying a T-shirt just because it is cheap and will fit for two weeks.

Is the second-hand clothing trade a model for the large-scale reuse of fashion?

Not automatically. Surveys, interviews and observations indicate that 40% of the clothing traded at Kantamanto Market (Ghana) ends up in landfill almost immediately due to poor quality. Our fast-fashion culture has dreadful environmental consequences and currently follows a take-make-dispose model. We turn a blind-eye, sugar-coat the issue and lock it away before throwing away the key: creating problems on the other side of the globe. U.K. garments mostly end up in Ghana, where no one can measure just how bad of an issue this is. The U.K. sends more clothes there than any other country. Clothing is now seen as a disposable, if not single-use. Quality is way too low, and clothes are of no use once they arrive in Ghana.

Figure 2: RECYCLED CLOTHING ARRIVING IN KANTAMANTO MARKET, GHANA

Kantamanto Market used to be a prestigious place to work in the 1960s and allowed families for upward mobility. Second-hand clothing was considered durable, chic, and a symbol of prestige. Today, our recycled clothes – the ones we donate to Goodwill, Salvation Army… – end up in stores, but when supply is too big, those charity shops and fast-fashion retailers ship off the excess clothes by the ton. Today, around 15 million items are unloaded weekly. Very little is precious as supply never stops: clothes are piled up, stepped on and covered in mud. To top it off, most clothing does not biodegrade properly and toxic textile mountains are created.

As a result of the clothes overflow and lack of quality thereof, India banned the export of second-hand clothes whilst Nigeria banned the import of most second-hand goods – even if its economy is based mainly on second hand.

What is the alternative? How do we keep our clothes from piling up in countries across the globe? The answer is threefold.

When shopping for a new piece, seek out items that are both Timeless and Durable. Acquire fewer products while paying attention to the quality and textiles used. Thus, if you one day throw it away, the likelihood of that high-quality garment benefiting someone on the opposite side of the earth will be significantly higher than when acquiring a £5 Zara T-Shirt. It’s unlikely that more than one person can wear a fast fashion garment without damaging them along the way— the quality is simply lacking.

Mending and upcycling clothes is coming back into popularity. So give your clothes a makeover and new look before donating them or throwing them away.

Clothes swaps and charity shops. When wanting to get rid of your clothes, think about giving them a new home – a friend, co-worker, homeless person... This will increase clothing utilisation and give it a second life, therefore pushing back the day it will end up in a landfill.

Why our second-hand clothes are causing an “environmental catastrophe” on the other side of the world