Second-hand clothes dealers call for transparency in new UN rules

Kenya’s second-hand cloth lobby, the Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya (MCAK) has joined other clothing industry lobbies across Africa in calling for reforms in the new global guidelines for used textiles.

The lobbies have published an open letter to the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep), calling for greater transparency and accuracy in the agency’s ongoing research on used clothing and textile circularity.

Other signatories include second-hand clothing industry leaders, policymakers and academic experts from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America, led by the Ghana Used Clothing Dealers Association (GUCDA) and other trade bodies such as Recycling Europe (formerly EuRIC) and the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART).

The statement comes ahead of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7),  the UN’s major environmental assembly to be hosted in Nairobi from December 8–12, where Unep is expected to present the final version of its global guidelines for used textiles.

Textile sustainability

The signatories, representing stakeholders not just in Kenya but also across the US, EU, Ghana, Pakistan, the UK and the Nordic countries, commend Unep’s work on textile sustainability, but stress that stronger transparency, data integrity, and stakeholder engagement are essential to the success of its ‘Circularity and Used Textile Trade Project’ funded by the EU Commission.

The project aims to create global guidelines to help distinguish between used clothing that can be traded and textile waste. It shows that there is a high demand for second-hand clothing in developing countries due to its affordability. This demand offers socio-economic benefits, particularly within the informal sector.

However, while used textiles can provide environmental advantages, challenges remain, especially related to inadequate recycling infrastructure and the disposal of imported textiles.

“Recognising the urgency to transition toward a sustainable and circular textile value chain, and the role that trade and trade policy can and should play to advance this, the project aims to identify key policy, financing, investment and regulatory priorities for trade and policy reforms and financing options, which enable this transformative change,” the project says.

As part of its objectives, the Circularity and Used Textile Trade Project will develop a global guideline to assess the suitability of products for trade as used textiles, including criteria to distinguish between reusable textiles and textile waste. This aims to unlock economic value while promoting inclusive social development in harmony with environmental sustainability.

The project focuses on Ghana, Kenya, Pakistan, and Tunisia—countries with significant volumes of used textile imports. It will also engage other interested nations and stakeholders through global consultations.

This initiative is part of the broader One Unep Textile Initiative, which brings together all the UN agency’s efforts on textiles under three strategic priorities - eliminating hazardous chemicals, tackling overconsumption and overproduction, and scaling up circular business models in the sector.

The open letter points to challenges in the consultation process, including short timelines for feedback, limited access to draft materials and presentation of unverified key data.

Stakeholders in Ghana, Kenya, and Pakistan noted that foundational definitions of ‘waste’ and critical data were applied or presented without sufficient methodological disclosure, limiting meaningful participation and independent review. Such a rushed and opaque consultation process, the group argues, undermines the project’s credibility and the acceptance of its eventual findings.

Chair of the Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya Teresiah Wairimu warns that Unep risks undermining its integrity unless it re-evaluates its affiliations with activist groups influenced by fast fashion agendas.

“There’s a serious risk Unep’s work will be tainted unless it disengages from activist organisations beholden to fast fashion interests. The potential harm to communities in Kenya, and indeed worldwide, could be profound,” Wairimu says.

In 2023, a survey conducted by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) Kenya and MCAK revealed that 24.2 million Kenyans purchased second-hand clothing, commonly known as mitumba. That year, Kenya imported 177,664 tonnes of second-hand clothes, highlighting the sector’s significant role in the local economy, driven by strong consumer demand.

The findings were part of a report titled, A Future Look at the Apparel and Footwear Industry in Kenya, which examined the state and prospects of the clothing industry using 2023 data.

According to the report, the mitumba trade generated about Sh16 billion in revenue for the country. During the launch of the report in Nairobi, IEA and mitumba traders addressed concerns about Kenya being a dumping ground for used clothing.

“Kenya is not a dumping ground for mitumba, as some people have claimed,” said IEA Chief Executive Kwame Owino, the report’s lead researcher.

Kenya primarily imports second-hand clothing from the EU, UK, Canada-with China emerging as the leading source over the last 10 years.

The mitumba industry employs women and youth, generating income and revenue for the country. Kenya collects at least $15,000 (about Sh1.9 million) in taxes per container (22–24 tonnes) of second-hand clothes.

CEO of the Textile Recycling Association in the UK Alan Wheeler, says they are concerned that the project’s findings may not fully reflect the realities of the global textile trade.

“Unep’s willingness to adopt unverified findings betrays its stated commitment to impartiality and undermines public trust. We demand that Unep correct its course, commission truly independent research, and reconsider its guidelines,” Wheeler explained.

Signatories emphasise that Unep has an obligation to ensure its policy recommendations are accurate and unbiased and urge immediate action.

The coalition calls on Unep to put the current draft guidelines on hold until the research behind them has been independently verified and share all research methods, data, and definitions from the focus countries so the findings can be fully reviewed and understood.

Also, to bring in independent, local experts to ensure the process is inclusive, transparent, and based on real-world evidence.

Jeffren Boakye Abrokwah from GUCDA says what they have seen throughout this consultation process is not the objective inquiry that they expect from a UN programme.

“The circularity and used textiles trade project could reshape national trade policies that affect the livelihoods of millions of people around the world. In Ghana, for example, Unep’s research partner is an NGO with a pre-existing waste advocacy campaign that is financially supported by the ultra-fast fashion industry,” Abrokwah says.

“We have rightly raised concerns about national dialogues where many participants were closely connected to the NGO and questions were leading or closed-ended, which may have affected the neutrality of the data collected.”