A recent study has shown that used clothes donations are low waste, climate-friendly, and provide employment opportunities for many women and young people in Africa.

Despite misleading claims about the environmental impact of second-hand clothes, the Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya has released a new report titled ‘The Quality of Second-Hand Clothes Imported to Kenya and the Associated Environmental Impacts’, which reveals the positive economic and environmental contributions of the trade.

The report highlights that the second-hand clothes sector significantly benefits the Kenyan economy, reduces textile waste, and helps to mitigate carbon emissions and other environmental impacts within the textile industry.

Teresia Wairimu, MCAK chairperson, emphasized the importance of continued donations and urged policymakers to base their decisions on robust evidence and feedback from those whose livelihoods depend on the trade.

The research for the report was conducted by Information Research Solutions in Nairobi and edited by Professor Patrick Diamond of Queen Mary University London.