While you may think your donation will do good, it can also end up as litter in Africa, as this TikTok video shows the horrific scenes of piles of textile waste.
Many TikTokers couldn't believe how bad the situation was and why nothing was being done about it.
The environmental organization Greenpeace Africa (@greenpeaceafrica) posted a video explaining where some clothing donations from Europe end up: Ghanaian beaches.
@greenpeaceafrica The fast fashion industry generates a huge amount of textile dead WASTE. But where does it all end up? The management of fast fashion waste from the Global North is being partially outsourced to Africa through the second-hand fashion trade. We need to call out this policy failure. SIGN the petition demanding that the Ghanaian national government regulates textile imports while protecting the economic benefits market sellers receive from this trade.
♬ original sound - Greenpeace Africa
Secondhand clothes from the continent are imported by Ghana, and the United Kingdom is the biggest exporter. Many end up at the Kantamanto Market, the largest secondhand market in Ghana, which receives 300 tonnes of clothes every week. People rely on selling these clothes for their livelihoods and pay $280 for a bale. However, Greenpeace Africa's research shows that "60% of these used clothes are unsellable and considered waste." Meaning they are losing money.
The clothes are transferred to Odaw River or Korle Lagoon dumpsites. Then, the textile waste pollutes waterways and beaches.
Greenpeace Africa is asking people to sign a petition to get the Ghanaian government to "hold fast fashion companies accountable."
Jacklyn Ofori Benson, one of the people who rely on the imports, told The Guardian that most of her bale that day was trash. She threw away stained denim shorts, and many of the items had bloodstains on them.
"Most of the 230 items were rubbish," she said.
While the fast fashion industry has grown, so has the number of clothes entering the market, but the quality of the clothes has decreased.
🗣️ What should the government do about the fast fashion industry?
🔘 Set strict regulations 🚫
🔘 Incentivize sustainable options 💰
🔘 Use both regulations and incentives 🏛️
🔘 Nothing 🙅
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
These clothes may be cheap to make and inexpensive to buy, but their quality is also low, meaning buyers can't wear them for very long. All this worsens the issue in Ghana and makes it harder for market workers to earn the money they need for their families.
Greenpeace also noted that 90% of the clothes are made of synthetic fabrics, leading to microplastic pollution.
Breaking up with fast fashion is a great way to curtail this pollution. The more people who stop supporting it and support eco-friendly brands instead, the less demand there will be for these cheap clothes. You can also shop at thrift stores to give a second life to as many clothes as possible.
TikTokers shared their reactions in the comments.
"Why are we accepting this?" one user said.
Another wrote, "I am no longer supporting businesses who practice fast fashion."
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