Sep 24, 2024, 12:00 AM
Sep 24, 2024, 12:00 AM

UK's fast fashion waste found on Ghana's beaches

Provocative
Highlights
  • Ghana imports approximately 15 million secondhand garments weekly from the UK, leading to a significant waste crisis.
  • During a beach clean, volunteers collected 20 tonnes of trash, including clothing from various major brands, highlighting the scale of the problem.
  • Activists call for brands to take responsibility for their waste, emphasizing the need for better management and solutions to the textile crisis.
Story

The UK is a major exporter of secondhand clothing, with Ghana receiving around 15 million garments weekly, leading to significant waste issues. During a beach clean in Accra, volunteers discovered a vast amount of discarded clothing, including items from well-known brands like Marks & Spencer and Nike. Ricketts, a local activist, highlighted the problem of low-quality clothing overwhelming Ghana's waste management systems, which are ill-equipped to handle such volumes. Despite the efforts of organizations like the Or Foundation, no major brands have yet taken responsibility for the waste they contribute, although smaller brands are beginning to engage with the issue. The situation raises questions about overconsumption and the need for brands and charity shops to calculate the true costs of clothing disposal and to advocate for higher Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees to address the crisis effectively.

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