ACCRA, Ghana, May 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- New academic
research released today from the West African country of
Ghana shows that waste in the
second hand clothes sector (SHC) is dramatically lower than has
been previously claimed.
The report released by the Ghana Used Clothing Dealers
Association, showed that less than 5% of the second hand clothing
imported into Ghana could be
considered waste.
The data-driven report is the first such academic study and
proves that the second-hand clothing market in Ghana is a robust and sustainable ecosystem
that contributes towards the global circular economy.
Speaking on the report Edward Atobrah
Binkley, General Secretary of the Ghana Used Clothing
Dealers Association said:
"The continued use of inaccurate information circulating in some
parts of the media about the second hand clothes trade must
stop.
"Those who've spent years using and repeating false and
inaccurate figures about waste in the trade should apologise now
for the damage they have done and the harm they have caused.
"This report shows that the trade is low waste and an essential
part of the global circular economy, providing a solution to the
challenges of climate change and waste the world faces, as well as
the over consumption of fast fashion that is wreaking damage on a
global scale.
"It is also pivotal to Ghana's
economy and way of life, providing affordable clothing to millions
while supporting livelihoods across the nation and contributing
significantly to Ghana's
government tax revenues.
"Policy makers should be extremely cautious before they
further regulate an already well run and
regulated, global trade based upon bad data and misleading
figures."
The report launched today in Accra found that the SHC trade in Ghana serves as a cornerstone of the nation's
retail landscape, deeply ingrained in its cultural and economic
fabric. The industry has evolved into a dynamic ecosystem,
providing affordable clothing options to consumers while also
supporting a significant proportion of Ghanaian livelihoods,
stimulating economic activity and fostering entrepreneurship.
It also found that the trade was a noteworthy example of the
circular economy in action; reducing waste, promoting resource
efficiency and enabling sustainable consumption. The second hand
clothes trade is an antidote to the detrimental effects of
the global fast fashion industry which promotes exploitative labour
practices, environmental degradation, excessive waste generation,
and unsustainable consumption patterns.
The report examined the multifaceted nature of Ghana's SHC industry, exploring its economic
contributions, demographic dynamics, and socio-environmental
implications, while also highlighting opportunities for sustainable
growth and development.
The research, which found that on average a maximum of 5% of
clothing in imported bales could be considered waste, demonstrated
that the prevailing international perception is not only wrong, but
economically unsound and deeply patronising.
It asks significant questions of the prevailing narrative and
should lead policy makers in the Global North to
re-examine some of the unhelpful cultural assumptions they may
have made about the ability of Africans to make informed
choices and our agency in the SHC trade.
This research dismantles many of the negative perceptions of the
SHC trade, while asking serious questions of activists and
governments about what has led them to uncritically accept and
propagate a misleading narrative around waste.
A full copy of the report can be found here.
Notes to editors:
For media enquiries or more information please contact the Ghana
Used Clothing Dealers Association at:
events@usedclothinggh.org, +447759764174, +233540946151
The Ghana Used Clothing Dealers Association
The Ghana Used Clothing Dealers Association is the
representative body for all used clothes, bags and shoes dealers
and importers in Ghana and was
created to represent all used clothes, bags and shoes traders,
independent of any external control or authority.
The Association was established to ensure the organisation of
all used clothes, bags and shoes importers and dealers in
Ghana into a unified association
and serve as their advocate and to uphold the dignity and promote
the general welfare of importers, wholesalers and retailers of all
used clothes, bags and shoes importers and dealers in Ghana.
The association provides an effective means of communication
between used clothes, bags and shoes importers and dealers and the
government as well as various stakeholders.
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