The Textile Recycling Association (TRA) of the United Kingdom (UK) refuted claims of sending large quantities of used clothes to Kenya as waste.
Speaking to Material Recycling World (MRW), a UK news outlet on recycling, TRA Chief Executive Officer Alan Wheeler stated that the UK was no longer a significant source of used clothing in Kenya.
Wheeler stated that Kenya only received 7,328,000 kilograms of recycled clothing in 2021, adding that China was the biggest contributor of recycled clothes to the country.
Moreover, Wheeler noted that China shipped up to 78,575,000 kilograms of recycled clothing to Kenya equivalent to up to 43 percent of all used clothing received in the country.
Further defending the textile recycling companies in the UK, the CEO stated that recycling used clothing was 70 times better for the environment than purchasing new ones.
“TRA members lead the way in promoting sustainable practices that ensure good quality items are traded globally.
“We adhere to some of the world’s most stringent requirements, such as fumigation of shipped items for the Kenyan market and physical inspection by an inspector at the point of loading,” Wheeler stated.
Moreover, he added that the clothing and textile industry was responsible for 8 to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions compared to the aviation and maritime industry combined.
“The global clothing reuse industry is beneficial to the environment. Additionally, it employs tens of millions of people,” added Wheeler.
The CEO asked publishers of the Transhion report, which originally published the findings, to submit evidence of their claims if there was a specific problem with the UK.
According to the 2023 report filed after an investigation by Clean Up Kenya, and Wildlight for the Changing Markets Foundation (CMF), the items sent to Kenya are made of poor materials, such as polyester and nylon, that can not be reused or mended.
In addition, the report detailed that about 36 million mitumba items are shipped to Kenya from the UK every year terming the high numbers as the loophole in a 2019 legal agreement stopping richer countries from dumping non-recyclable plastic waste to less wealthy ones.
This is not the first time that the debate surrounding ‘Mitumba’ made headlines. In June 2022, former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga received backlash over statements during his manifesto launch that ‘mitumba’ attires worn by Kenyans might have been earlier donned by people who already died.
However, the premier defended his statement noting that he was defending businessmen in the ‘mitumba’ sector and that it had created employment opportunities for millions of Kenyans.
In a separate incident in November 2022, Trade, Investment, and Industry Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria stated that as a way of empowering the local textile industry, the government would ban the importation of second-hand clothes, noting that Kenya exported clothes to the US at cheaper prices.
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE