Reducing fashion waste, dressing sustainably in Africa!

People’s wardrobes are overflowing with clothes that they still or no longer wear or both.

They no longer wear these clothes maybe because they no longer fit them, no longer meet their financial status, no longer their taste, etc., or simply because they no longer like them. What do they do about these clothes? They will keep them out of their wardrobes: some will burn them, some will give them to their brothers or sisters, some will give them to the needy, donate to charity and some will simply throw them away in landfills.

Worldwide, one of the most polluting industries contributing to climate change is the clothing and textiles industry. Producing new clothes uses a lot of natural resources which create greenhouse gas emissions that are responsible for climate change. According to Niinimäki et al. in 2020, the clothing and textiles industry's detrimental ecological footprint is caused by high energy, water, and chemical use, the generation of textile waste, and microfiber shedding into the environment during laundering.

According to the UN, the fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of global emissions, more than aviation and shipping combined. The World Bank suggests that the global sale of clothes could increase by up to 65% by 2030. From what I have observed, young people (not older than 24yrs) buy more clothes than any other age group.

Despite the well-aired public mantra of ‘reduce, re-use, recycle’, it’s estimated that the fashion industry creates around 13 kilograms of fashion waste for every person on the planet every year (Common Objective, 2018). Considering the fact that fast fashion contributes to climate change, it’s time to break up with the culture of buying something, wearing it once, and ditching it.

Now, let us look at some sustainable ways which we can use to reduce clothes or fashion waste in Africa:

Buy less clothes

Rent your clothes

Hiring clothes does not only reduce fashion waste but it is another way to access new pieces. For special occasions that require a new outfit, like a job interview, maternity photoshoot, gala dinner, or an important business meeting, businesses renting out clothes make it possible to rent a brand new outfit while saving all of the resources needed to manufacture a new piece of clothing. There are different shops that rent out clothes in a lot of communities, just look around you and find that shop. If it does not exist, it’s a good opportunity for you to grab this idea and start a shop that rents out clothes!

Clothing swap

Another sweet idea to reduce fashion waste is to host a clothing swap in your community! There is a saying, "One man's trash is another man's treasure." The same is true when it comes to your old, used clothing. Hosting a swap or exchange event is an excellent way for people to receive new clothing while responsibly getting rid of the items they don't want anymore. One grandma’s 1950s flower child dress is another person’s cottage core dream come true.

Second-hand clothes

Second-hand fashion is on the rise, and a lot of young people today, including me, look for items at thrift stores or online resellers like G Clothing and Juju’s second-hand store before buying them new.

Recycle

Unlike other materials, the textile recycling rate is currently one of the lowest. Fabrics, including worn jeans, unwanted shoes, stained sweatshirts, hoodies, and even mismatched socks, can be given a brand new life as new clothing, housing insulation, stuffed animals, or even rags.

We can take it one step further, though, by giving the clothes we already have a new life. That way, we can reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that are responsible for climate change through the reduction of clothing that ends up in landfills and conserving the raw materials that are used to make new garments. Whatever it takes to keep our clothes out of landfills.