In 2021, Africa was China's main destination for second-hand clothing, particularly Angola, Ghana and Kenya, which imported 20 percent of clothing from the Asian country, whose exports rose from 53 million dollars in 2020 to 140 million dollars in 2021, as highlighted in the report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Economic and Social Affairs (UNECE) dated June 2024.
These garments usually originate in the richest countries and are sold to the poorest, with the main exporters being the European Union (30 percent), China (16 percent) and the United States (15 percent), while Asia, predominantly Pakistan, accounted for 28 percent of purchases, Africa 19 percent (mainly Ghana and Kenya) and Latin America 16 percent (mainly Chile and Guatemala).
The report, entitled "Changing direction in the second-hand clothing crisis: Global, European and Chilean perspectives", highlights that the production model in the textile industry has shifted from one based on natural fibres and protectionist policies to one in which synthetic fibres have become ubiquitous, production has been offshored and the speed of manufacture and distribution of products has accelerated rapidly.
This 'fast fashion' model, which involves more collections per year, generally at lower prices, and used for increasingly shorter periods of time, has led to overproduction and overconsumption of clothing, which has stimulated the development of the second-hand clothing market, with transactions valued at 9.3 billion dollars in 2021.
The volumes of discarded clothing have increased almost sevenfold in the last three decades, according to the UNECE report.
The document also states that the increase in clothing production has been accompanied by a reduction in quality.
Much of the clothing is made from blended synthetic fibres that are difficult to separate, reducing the possibilities for cost-effective reuse and recycling, particularly in developed countries, it points out.
Exports of second-hand clothing from the European Union to more than 100 countries – mainly in Asia and Africa – exceeded 1.8 million tonnes and were worth 1.66 billion dollars in 2021.
