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- According to recent reports, the global used cloth market is set to double to $51 bn.
- Almost $150 million worth of used clothes and shoes, mostly from the US and Europe are imported by East Africa
The second-hand clothing market is a billion-dollar global industry and almost 70% of these garments end up in African markets. According to some recent reports, the global used cloth market is set to double to $51 bn.
The donated clothes are sent through a complex global supply chain. These garments that cannot be sold in thrift shops in high-income countries are resold in bulk to commercial textile recyclers. Later they are sent to sorting centres, in the Middle East or Eastern Europe where they are graded and sorted into bales and then resold to wholesalers in Africa. Almost $150 million worth of used clothes and shoes, mostly from the US and Europe are imported by East Africa. USAID estimated that in 2017, the industry contributed to 355000 jobs and generated $230 million in government revenue and supported the livelihoods of an additional 1.4 million in the East Africa Community bloc.
A lot of debates have been taking place about the complexities of this billion-dollar industry and how this perpetuates poverty. The main argument was, used clothing contributed to the collapse of the domestic textile industry in many parts of Africa in the 1980s and 1990s. It was also pointed out that the trend of using second-hand clothes hurt the dignity and pride of the Africans. Consequently, in 2016, the leaders of Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and Burundi decided on a major tariff increase on imported used clothing. The proposal was to ban all imports of used clothing by 2019. But most of the countries were forced to roll back the measures due to international pressure.
At the same time, used clothing continues to enjoy top popularity in many African countries due to economic and social factors. Used clothes and shoes sourced from high-income countries were considered to be of far better quality than brand new items available in local markets. Second-hand clothes sourced from China were popular because of sizes and styles compatible with local preferences and also because of its better quality when compared to clothing produced in China for African markets. Affordability, and uniqueness and fashion trends attracted the younger generation with international trends to these garments. With low start-up capital, It offered many a lively hood by being a vendor of used garments.
