textile waste

African organisations accuse UNEP’s Textile Circularity Project of unreliable data and a tainted process

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African coaltion warns that proposed global guidelines, built on flawed foundations, threaten millions of livelihoods and the future of textile reuse


A coalition of African organisations, supported by experts from Europe, Asia, and America, has sent a formal letter to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The letter raises concerns about the reliability of the data underpinning UNEP’s projects for global textile circularity and protests against the credibility granted to entities described as “beholden” to fast fashion giants.

The open letter directly challenges UNEP’s Circularity and Trade of Used Textiles project. This project aims to create global guidelines distinguishing reusable second-hand clothing from waste. The signatories, representing the livelihoods of millions in the sorting, repair, and resale trades, argue that the entire effort is compromised from its foundation. (Fashion Magazine).

African organisations: the letter of accusation


Their core accusations are threefold:

  1. Unreliable data:
    The project relies on unverified figures, such as the frequently cited claim that 95% of textile waste is reusable. A figure that contradicts established industry knowledge and lacks transparent collection methods.
  2. A tainted process: 
    The coalition describes the consultations as rushed and exclusionary, sidelining the very experts who understand the complex realities of the trade.
  3. Corporate influence: 
    In Ghana, an NGO funded by the ultra-fast fashion industry led the research. The very entities whose overproduction is the root of the waste crisis — creating an unacceptable conflict of interest.

“What we have observed does not match the objectivity expected from a UN programme,” said Jeffren Boakye Abrokwah, President of the Ghanaian Used Clothing Dealers Association. “In Ghana, UNEP’s research partner is an NGO that already runs a waste campaign. It is funded by the fast fashion industry. This compromises the neutrality of the data.”

However, this sentiment found an international echo. Alan Wheeler, Director General of the UK’s Textile Recycling Association, stated, “UNEP’s willingness to adopt unverified conclusions contradicts its stated commitment to impartiality and undermines public trust.”

But this dispute erupts as the second-hand clothing market faces unprecedented strain. New, low-quality garments flood African markets. While in Europe, collectors are on strike and countries like Sweden are authorising the destruction of unsold clothing. Against this backdrop, the call for credible and impartial solutions has never been more urgent.

Final thoughts


In conclusion, the core conflict is no longer just about data or methodology. It is about who gets to define circularity. The African organisations’ letter exposes a disturbing reality. In essence, the industry itself may shape a UN process meant to regulate the fashion industry’s waste.

So this is not merely a failure of process; it is a hijacking of the solution. Letting fast-fashion entities set the rules, the UNEP project legitimises greenwashing and undermines the circular economy it aims to protect. In other words, the system is not simply being poorly designed. It is being designed to fail, preserving a linear model of overproduction and waste under the guise of sustainability.

The credibility of global environmental governance now hangs in the balance.

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EU adopts new rules targeting textile and food waste

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The move tackles the millions of tonnes of waste generated each year in the EU, aiming to create a more circular economy


In a major step towards a circular economy, the European Parliament has officially adopted new rules to tackle the millions of tonnes of waste generated by the textile and food industries.

The legislation, which received its final green light yesterday, takes direct aim at a massive environmental problem. Every year, the EU generates a staggering 60 million tonnes of food waste (equivalent to 132 kg per person) and 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste. Clothing and footwear alone account for 5.2 million tonnes of waste. The equivalent of 12 kg of waste per person every year. Currently, less than 1% of all textiles worldwide are recycled into new products.

Textile and food waste: key measures


Key measures of the new law include:

Food waste

EU member states must meet binding 2030 target to reduce food waste by 10% in processing/manufacturing and by 30% per capita in retail, food service, and households. They must also facilitate the donation of unsold food safe for human consumption.

Textile waste

“Polluter pays” for fashion. All producers selling textiles in the EU must cover the costs of managing their waste through new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, a system designed to make brands financially accountable for the entire lifecycle of their products. This means:

  • Who it affects: All producers (brands, retailers, importers) who make textiles available on the EU market. Rgardless of their size or whether they are based inside or outside the EU. This explicitly includes e-commerce sellers.
  • Financial obligation: Producers will be financially responsible for the full net costs of the collection, sorting, transport, preparation for re-use, and recycling of their end-of-life products.
  • Timeline: Member states have 30 months from the directive’s entry into force to establish these EPR schemes. Micro-enterprises are granted an additional year to comply.
  • Product scope: Broad coverage including clothing, accessories, headwear, footwear, blankets, bed and kitchen linen, and curtains.
  • Targeting fast fashion: Member states can modulate EPR fees based on the sustainability of products (e.g., durability, recyclability). Crucially, they are encouraged to use this tool to address the environmental impact of ultra-fast and fast fashion business models, making them pay more for their disproportionate waste.

This framework fundamentally shifts the financial and operational burden of textile waste from municipalities and taxpayers onto the producers. So it creates a powerful economic incentive for the industry to design longer-lasting, more recyclable clothing and to support circular business models. Notably, the legislation also empowers countries to target ultra-fast fashion by adjusting financial contributions to make these practices less profitable.

The law will be formally signed and published. EU nations then have 20 months to transpose these groundbreaking rules into their national legislation, setting the stage for a more sustainable future.

Potential challenges and criticisms: The fast fashion loophole


Burden on SMEs, micro-enterprises, and compliance costs.
Micro-enterprises get an extra year to comply. But the costs of setting up monitoring, reporting, and paying into EPR schemes can be disproportionately high for small designers and brands compared to giant corporations.

Focus on end-of-life vs design: recycling vs. reducing.
The legislation heavily focuses on managing waste after it is created. And so: collecting, sorting, recycling. While crucial, this doesn’t directly force a radical reduction in production volume—the root cause of the problem. The fast fashion business model, based on ever-faster turnover, can continue as long as producers pay the recycling fee. The fee must be high enough to truly incentivize designing durable, repairable, and recyclable clothing from the outset.

Final thoughts


The EU’s new waste law is strong in intent, ambitious, and necessary. But the weak spots are primarily in the execution:

  • The use of non-binding language for critical issues like fast fashion.
  • The historic difficulty of harmonizing enforcement across 27 different countries.
  • The economic and practical challenges of building a circular economy from the ground up.

The success of this directive won’t be judged by its passage, but by how these challenges are navigated by the European Commission and member states over the next decade. 

It’s a powerful first step, but the journey ahead is complex.

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