Kenyan clothes traders are urging readers to keep donating their used clothes this Christmas despite a slew of inaccurate claims circulating this year implying that clothes cause environmental damage in countries such as Kenya.
Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya (MCAK) has launched a new report on the used clothes trade, better known as mitumba, in an effort to measure the economic and environmental impact of the second-hand clothes trade in Kenya and debunked allegations around waste.
Titled “The Quality of Second-Hand Clothes Imported to Kenya and the Associated Environmental Impacts”, it noted that the sector contributes significantly to the economy of the country and also reduces overall textile waste while helping to cut carbon emissions and other environmental impacts of the textile sector.
The report further argued that the “inaccurate misinformation” that was picked by Western media this year about the clothes trade in Africa have been deeply damaging to what it demonstrates is an industry that by its nature is low waste and environmentally friendly.
“We hope that the launch of this report begins to turn the tide of a false narrative that has demonised our trade and put millions of jobs and livelihoods at risk. We are clear that the threat to our natural world is fast fashion and not the second-hand clothing sector,” Teresia Wairimu, MCAK chairperson said.
Ms Wairimu further observed that policy decisions affecting second-hand clothes should be based on robust evidence and involve listening to the industry and individuals whose livelihoods depend on this sector, and will be most affected.
“This Christmas, we urge your readers to continue donating their used clothes as a vital lifeline to the livelihoods of traders here in Kenya and to extend the lifeline of textiles and our natural world,” she noted.
The research that produced the report was carried out by Nairobi-based Information Research Solutions, and the report was edited by Professor Patrick Diamond of Queen Mary
University London.
