West Africa, particularly Ghana, sees a continuous influx of used clothing from Western countries, referred to as "obroni wawu" or "the clothes of dead white men."
The trade in used clothing has created thousands of jobs but is turning parts of Ghana into a toxic landfill.
Economic Impact
Asare Asamoah: A successful importer of used clothing, whose brother passed away leaving him the business.
Imports up to three million items annually, mainly from the UK.
Faces risks as importers pay upfront for containers without knowing the quality.
Profits can be significant if quality clothing is sourced.
In a good year, importers can make $140,000.
Aisha Idrisu: Works in the second-hand clothes trade, earning about $5 a day carrying heavy bales.
Represents many displaced women earning a living from this trade.
Environmental and Social Issues
Cantamanto Market: A major hub for second-hand clothing in West Africa.
Every week, about six million garments leave the market as waste.
Close to 40% of shipments are deemed worthless and add to the landfill.
Waste Management: Accra struggles to manage 160 tonnes of textile waste daily.
Waste trucked and dumped north of Accra.
Heavy rains wash clothing waste into sewers and oceans, choking aquatic life.
Informal, unregulated dumps are growing due to lack of space.
Synthetic Textiles: Take hundreds of years to decompose, compounding waste issues.
Personal Stories
Christiana Manko: A single mother who travels to sell clothing, faces challenges with credit demands.
Increasingly receives lower quality clothes, impacting her livelihood.
Emmanuel Ajab: Imports used clothing from Australia, often finds the quality poor.
Experiences significant financial losses due to low-quality shipments.
Cultural and Economic Shifts
Western second-hand clothing is so cheap that local textile industries are struggling.
Since the 1980s, local textile output has reduced by 75%.
Traditional clothing is reserved for Sundays, highlighting cultural shifts.
Broader Implications
Liz Ricketts: Documents the impact of clothing waste, attributing much of the blame to overproduction by major fashion brands.
Brands often overproduce, leading to excess waste.
Many garments are burned, affecting air quality.
Residents of areas receiving waste are not responsible for its creation but suffer its consequences.
Conclusion
Second-hand clothing provides a lifeline for many in Ghana.
However, it poses significant environmental and social challenges.
Urges for the West to reconsider the quality and destination of their donated clothes to avoid shipping the problem to other countries.