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The Hidden Cost of Generosity: How Secondhand Clothing Donations Can Harm African Markets


Fast fashion source: Istockphoto
Fast fashion source: Istockphoto


Fast Fashion: A Global Crisis in Style

Fast fashion is the rapid production of cheap, trendy clothing in response to the latest styles. Brands mass produce new collections weekly, encouraging consumers to constantly buy and discard. What was once a seasonal industry now moves at breakneck speed—at the cost of the environment, labor rights, and global equity.

Across the globe, the consequences are staggering:An average person buys 60% more clothing than 15 years ago but keeps each item for half as long. Therefore, over 92 million tonnes of textile waste are produced annually—much of it sent to landfills or incinerated.Globally, the fashion industry is responsible for approximately 10% of global carbon emissions, surpassing the combined emissions of aviation and maritime shipping. Garment production consumes massive amounts of water and resources—2,700 liters for a single t-shirt, enough to hydrate one person for approximately 900 days. Furthermore, an estimated 93% of fashion brands fail to pay garment workers a living wage.

As fast fashion accelerates, it leaves behind a trail of waste, injustice, and pollution—particularly evident in how unwanted clothes are handled after being worn just a few times.

When Giving Becomes Dumping: The African Experience

In an attempt to ease the guilt of overconsumption, many in the Global North turn to donation bins and charity shops. However, the reality is that most donated clothes are not kept within the communities they are intended for. Instead, they are bundled, sorted, and shipped en masse to the Global South, especially Africa.

Markets across the continent, such as Kantamanto Market in Accra and Gikomba Market in Nairobi, are flooded with bales of secondhand clothing. While these markets provide affordable fashion to many, they also mask a darker reality.

Imported secondhand clothing is sold at prices that local textile producers cannot compete with. As a result, local garment industries collapse, unable to survive against the flood of cheap imports. Hence, jobs are lost in manufacturing and design, stifling innovation and economic growth.What was intended as charity often becomes a form of economic sabotage.

The rise of fast fashion means that donated clothes are increasingly of low quality (designed to last only 1-5 uses) and unsellable upon arrival in donation recipient countries. (damaged, stained, synthetic). Estimates suggest up to 40% of secondhand clothing shipped to Africa is waste. These garments are often discarded in landfills, burned in open pits, or left to pollute waterways, leading to significant environmental and health risks.

The environmental impact of these donations is alarming: Synthetic materials like polyester take 200+ years to decompose, and burning clothes releases toxic chemicals and greenhouse gases. Microplastics from textiles enter water systems, harming marine life and human health, and waste piles in open-air dumps pollute soil, air, and groundwater—especially dangerous in areas lacking proper waste infrastructure.What began as generosity ended in environmental degradation.

Several African countries, including Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania, have attempted to ban or limit secondhand imports to protect local industries. However, efforts have faced international pushback—most notably from the United States, which threatened to withdraw trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

This raises a deeper question: why should the Global South bear the burden of the Global North’s fashion waste?

Secondhand Isn’t the Enemy—Overproduction Is

It’s essential to recognize that secondhand fashion, when executed correctly, can contribute to sustainable consumption. It can reduce demand for new clothing, extend garment lifespans, and foster circular economies. However, recycling doesn’t eliminate the problem—it merely delays it. The volume of fast fashion means that second hand markets are overwhelmed, and most donated clothes today are simply not designed to last, even when they are secondhand.

What Can Be Done?

To truly address the crisis, action is needed from the consumer side is on multiple fronts. Global consumers can buy less, choose better-quality products, support ethical and slow-fashion brands, shop secondhand locally, repair, upcycle, and swap clothes. They can also wash less, use cold water, and avoid synthetics.

Conclusion: Redefining Generosity in Fashion

Fast fashion is not just a consumer issue—it’s a systemic one. Its consequences ripple far beyond fitting rooms and closets, affecting economies, ecosystems, and lives worldwide. Donating clothes might seem generous, but true generosity lies in rethinking our relationship with fashion—buying less, buying better, and demanding change from an industry built on disposability.Africa’s overflowing second hand markets are a wake-up call. If we want fashion to be fair and sustainable, we must confront the uncomfortable truth: what we discard here shapes someone else’s reality elsewhere.

P.S. If you are based in Ethiopia, here are our brand suggestions for shopping sustainably, locally, and ethically: 

Root in Style, Sabahar, Kabana Design, Mafi Mafi, Genet Collection, Yefikir Desing, Kunjina, Zaaf Collection, Dolmel, Fozia Endrias, Meron Addis Ababa.






Sources:


https://www.adjoaa.com: Discover the 10 Best Sustainable Ethiopian Fashion Brands to support on Ethiopia’s Patriots’ Victory Day.


https://earth.org/: The Environmental Impact Of Fast Fashion, Explained.https://earth.org/fast-fashions-detrimental-effect-on-the-environment/. Accessed on 

29/04/2025.


https://earth.org: 10 Concerning Fast Fashion Waste Statistics.


https://en.wikipedia.org: Kantamanto Market.


https://en.wikipedia.org: Mitumba (clothing).


https://www.greenpeace.org: How fast fashion fuels climate change, plastic pollution, and violence.


https://www.unep.org: The environmental costs of fast fashion.

 
 
 

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