循环经济基金循环分拣项目REWEAR可再穿纺织品分拣与转售潜力评估报告2026

CIRCLE

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ECONOMY

SORTINGFORCIRCULARITY

PROJECTREWEAR

MAY2026

SORTINGFORCIRCULARTYIPROJECTREWEAR

AUTHORS

CircleEconomy

S.Walsh

O.Bakowska

M.Murdie

FashionForGood

S.vanKol

G.Parker

NationalTextileUniversity

Prof.Dr.Y.NawabDr.M.Hussain

Artdiction

E.Agyare

TheRevival

Y.Agbofah

AalborgUniversity

KerliKantHvass

OsloMet

IngunGrimstadKlepp

ACKN◎WLEDGEMENTS

Theauthorsaregratefulfortheinsightsandassistanceprovidedbyourcolleaguestomakethisreportpossible.WeextendourthankstoGiorgiaCherubiniandWen-YuChenfromtheCircleEconomyteamandKatrinLey,BrittanyBurns,PriyankaKhannaandJoaoDAmatofromtheFashionforGoodteam.

Wewouldalsoliketoacknowledgeprojectpartnersthatsupportedtheanalysisanddatacollection:

adidas,PVH,Zalando,Inditex„OttoGroup,bonprix,Bestseller,C&AandLeviStrauss&Co.,KnowTex,NationalTextileUniversity(Pakistan)Artdiction,TheRevival,Erdotex,Revaluate,Wtórpol,Humana,ModaRe,theUnitedRepairCentre,reverse.fashion,andSaveYourWardrobe.

Authors

SORTINGFORCIRCULARITYIPROJECTREWEAR

AB◎UTUS

FashionforGoodunitestheentirefashionecosystem—brands,retailers,suppliers,innovators,andfunders—tofostercollaborationandspearheadchangetowards

aregenerativeindustry.Atitscore,FashionforGoodempowersgroundbreaking

innovatorsontheirjourneytoscale,offeringhands-onsupport,accesstocapital,andarichnetworkofexperts.Thisacceleratestheintroductionofthemostimpactful

innovationstothemarket,drivingsignificantsystemicchange.

ThistransformativeworkismadepossiblebythesupportofLaudesFoundation,

co-founderWilliamMcDonoughandcorporatepartners,adidas,ArvindLimited,

BESTSELLER,BirlaCellulose,C&A,CHANEL,Inditex,LeviStrauss&Co.,Norrona,ON,OttoGroup,ParadiseTextiles,PDSLimited,PVHCorp.,RalphLauren,Reformation,

ShahiExports,Target,TeijinFrontier,andZalando.

ECONOMY

CircleEconomyisdrivingthetransitiontoaneweconomybyhelpingbusinesses,cities,andnationsleveragebusinessopportunities,reducecosts,createjobsandinspirebehaviouralchange.Asaglobalimpactorganisation,ourinternationalteamequipsbusinessleadersandpolicymakerswiththeinsights,strategies,andtoolstoturncircularambitionintoaction.Since2014,CircleEconomy'sTextilesProgrammecultivatesafairandregenerativetextileindustrybyempoweringthevaluechain

stakeholdersandcommunitiestocollectivelyreimagineandredesignoursystems.

AboutUs

SORTINGFORCIRCULARITYIPROJECTREWEAR

PR◎JECTPARTNERS

THEREVIVAL

ArtdictionisacreativeconsultancyfoundedandledbyEricAgyare,dedicatedtoaddressingsocial,economic,andenvironmentalchallengesthroughacombinationofresearch,policy

dialogue,andinnovativecreativesolutions.

OneofArtdiction'skeycollaborationsiswithTheRevival,acommunity-driveninitiative

tacklingthegrowingtextilewastecrisisinGhana.Together,theyfocusonsustainablepracticesthatblendadvocacy,education,andpracticalaction.

BasedinAccra'sKantamantoMarket—theheartofGhana'ssecondhandclothingtrade—TheRevivaliscommittedtotransformingthefashionecosystemfromthegroundup.Byupcyclingdiscardedgarmentsandpromotingcircularfashionpractices,TheRevivalcreateseconomicopportunitiesforyouthandwomenwhileraisingawarenessabouttheenvironmentalimpactofglobalfashionwaste.

Throughthispartnership,ArtdictionandTheRevivalEarthaimtobuildamoreresilient,equitable,andsustainablefashionfuture—startingatthecommunitylevelandextendingglobally.

Artdiction(ledbyEricAgyare)servedastheGhanaleadresearcherforthestudy.

TheRevival(ledbyYayraAgbofah)wastheleadcollaboratorinGhana.

Knowtexisamultistakeholderconsortiumbringingtogetheruniversities,industry,and

governmentsectororganisationstoadvancetextileresearchforsocio-economicimpactinPakistan.

TheNationalTextileUniversity(NTU),isPakistan'spremierinstitutionfortextileeducation,researchandinnovation.Establishedin1959,itplaysavitalroleinadvancingthecountry's

textileandapparelsectorthroughspecialisedacademicprogrammes,industrycollaborations,anditscommitmenttotechnologicalprogressandsustainabledevelopment.

ProjectPartners

SORTINGFORCIRCULARTYIPROJECTREWEAR

TableOfContents

TABLE◎FCONTENTS

EXECUTIVESUMMARY06

INTRODUCTION

TheCostoftheCurrentFashionSystem

09

10

WhatisRewear?

10

RewearAcrossUnevenGeographies

11

Rewear'sPotential—anditsLimits

13

AimsofSortingforCircularity:ProjectRewear

14

THECURRENTSTATEOFREWEARINEUROPE

1.MethodologicalConsiderations

15

16

2.RewearEcosystemsinEurope:OverviewofActorsandFocusCountries

17

3.MarketDynamicsandRewearOpportunities:KeyFindingsfromStakeholderInterviewsandSampleAnalysis

19

4.AssessingRewearValue:GradesandPhysicalGarmentFeatures

20

REWEARECOSYSTEMSINGHANAANDPAKISTAN

1.Ghana:TheStateofRewearintheKantamantoMarket

24

25

2.Pakistan:APillarintheGlobalSecondhandClothingTrade

30

3.EUPoliciesShapingUsedTextileFlows

33

REWEARPILOTS:CIRCULARBUSINESSMODELSINPRACTICE

1.CaseStudy:reverse.fashion

36

37

2.CaseStudy:UnitedRepairCentre

40

3.CaseStudy:SaveYourWardrobe

43

ChapterConclusion

46

CONNECTINGTHETHREADS:ACALLTOACTION

Author'sNote

47

48

Recommendations

49

TheWayTowardsJustCircularFutures

55

APPENDICES56

ENDNOTES64

SORTINGFORCIRCULARITY|PROJECTREWEAR

EXECUTIVESUMMARY

ProjectRewearinvestigatesdiverseeconomiesofRewearasaglobalpracticeofcircularity.Thestudybringsforwardnewdatafromawiderangeofstakeholderstoillustratethemultiplerealities,tensions,andprovidesmoregranularitytothepotentialitieswithinRewearinnovationandRewearecosystems.

TheChallenge

Thefashionindustryisbuiltonatake-make-wastemodelthatdrivesenvironmentalextractionandexploitationatscale.Today,only0.3%ofmaterialsarekeptincirculation,whileover92milliontonnesoftextilesare

discardedannually!Inthiscontext,Reweareconomiescoverreuse,repair,upcyclingandotherpractices,all

ofwhichcancontributetomultipleenvironmental,social,andeconomicbenefitsthankstoactorsthatenableclothingtoremainincirculation.Yetwithoutmoretargetedinterventionsatdifferentpartsofthevaluechaintostrengthenwastemanagementinfrastructure,andrebalanceglobaltrade,Rewearrisksfunctioningasaparallelmarketratherthanactingasacircularcounterbalancetosolvefashion'swasteproblem.

TheStateofRewearinEurope

Ouranalysisof8,280garmentsacrossfourEUcountriesshowsafragmented,trend-drivenRewearmarket,

whereperceiveddesirabilityoftenoutweighsactualqualityindeterminingresalevalue.Mostgarmentsweretechnicallyrewearable,37%hadnodamage,and41%hadonlyminorflaws,butsimplevalue-addslikecleaningorrepairsarerarelyperformed,largelybecausethecostsoutweighthepotentialprofit.Beyondeconomic

constraints,alackofpreparationforreusereflectsbroadergapsinskillsandinfrastructure.Renewalactivitieslikecleaning,depilling,repairsandrestorationrequirededicatedskillset,resources,space,andtechnology.

Manyoperators,particularlynon-profits,areunabletoprioritiseorstrategisearoundthisactivityatscaleandevenwhenpreparationforreuseoccursittendstobemarginalcomparedtotheoverallvolumesbeingprocessed.

Rewearbusinessesandnon-profitoperatorsfacemultiplechallenges.Demandisvolatile,andonlyasmallshareofgarments(thetop5-10%)commandpremiumprices.Consumerexpectationsareshapedbytheartificially

lowcostofnewclothing,whileoperationalcostsforlogistics,authentication,andotherservicesremainhigh.Whilethereisawell-establishedanddiversifyingecosystemofcharities,socialenterprises,resaleplatforms,andrepairproviders,theviabilityoftheseeffortsisvariable.Somerepairandrentalstartupsseesuccessandgrowth,whileothersstruggletoturnaprofit.

Inshort,thisreportaffirmsthatEuropehasabundanttechnicallyrewearablestockandgrowing

infrastructure,aswellasaproactiveandcomparativelyprogressivepolicyenvironment.Yetwithout

additionalpolicyandmarketshiftsthatrewardpreparation-for-reuseandcounterfashion'sprice

pressures,mostgarmentswillneverrealisetheirRewearpotential.Onepossibleopportunityformore

synergyisinthenewEU-widetextilesExtendedProducerResponsibility(EPR).TherevisedWasteFrameworkDirectiveenteredintoforceonthe16thOctober2025,makingEPRmandatoryfortextilesandfootwear.EPRfeeswillbemodulated,whichcouldinprinciplehelptoallaysomeofthesemarketfailures.

ExecutiveSummary

SORTINGFORCIRCULARITYIPROJECTREWEAR

ExecutiveSummary

TheGlobalPicture:GhanaandPakistan

ReweareconomiesinGhanaandPakistanrevealbothscaleandcomplexityofglobalsecondhandclothing

flows.Accra'sKantamantoMarket,whereitisestimatedthataround15milliongarmentsarriveweekly,

functionsasagenuinelycirculareconomy,withadynamicecosystemoftraders,upcyclers,repairers,and

otheractorswhodivertvastquantitiesoftextilewastefromlandfillorspillingintotheenvironment.Yetthe

sheervolumesandthefactthatmanygarmentsarrivedamageddespitebeingimportedasrewearable",causefinancialrisksandwastemanagementburdensdisproportionatetocapacityandsocialprotectionoflocalactors.

Pakistanplaysadifferent,butequallyimportant,roleintheglobalusedtextilessystem.Thecountryhas

becomeahubforsorting,re-export,andrecycling,importingover800,000tonnesannuallyandemployingtensofthousands,especiallyintheKarachiExportProcessingZone.Largevolumesarethenre-exported,mainly

toEastAfrica,withsmallersharesenteringlocalreusemarketsandarecyclingsector.Together,thesecasestudiesshowthatReweareconomiescanoperateandsustainlivelihoodsatscaleaspartofglobaltradesystems,howeverareembeddedindeep-rootedinequalities.Thisunderscorestheurgentneedforfairer,andbetter-resourcedsystemsthatconsiderallactorsandcommunitiesinvolved.

PilotingRewearInnovation:NewPotentialsandLessonsLearned

ThreedistinctpilotswerecompletedwithintheRewearproject,eachaimingtoaddresscurrentlimitations

preventingReweareconomiesfromscaling:incompletebusinesscaserationale,repairsonlowandmedium

valueitemsandlastly,mostefficientsortingforRewear.SaveYourWardrobecreatedanopensourceAftersalesDiagnosticsToolthathelpsbrandsidentifythemoststrategicopportunitieswithincareandrepair,byoutliningtwooutofsevenmostapplicablecost-savingorrevenuedrivingscenarios.UnitedRepairCentre,teamedup

withKringloopwinkelandModaretodivert164piecesfrommiddletolowvalueexport,towardshighervalueEuropeansecondhandmarketthroughrepairsandcreativerepairscalculatingthevalueincrease.Lastly,

reverse.fashiondevelopedandpilotedAl-enabledsolutionsforcapturingmaximumvalue,mostefficientlyatthesortingstage.

ACalltoAction

AnalysingbothEU-basedandexportdestinationReweareconomiesthroughenvironmental,economic,and

justice-orientedlenses,thisreporthighlightshowthetransformativepotentialofReweardependsonenablerssuchaspolicysupport,marketincentives,technologies,andculturalshifts.Realisingthispotentialwillrequiremulti-tieredinterventionsacrossthevaluechain.Keyrolesforstakeholdersinclude:

Brandsandretailers:DesignproductswithRewearinmindwhereappropriate,takingaproactiveapproachtoengagingwithandlearningfromend-of-useactorstorefinedesigncriteria.Embed

Rewearasacorebusinessobjectivewithmeasurabletargets,suchasincreasingtheshareofoverallrevenuefromrewearandrepair.Thisapproachcanenablebrandstograduallydownscalenew

productionwhiledrivingthesystemictransformationneededforatrulycircularfashionsystem.

Socialcircularenterprisesandcharities:Non-profitactorshavelongplayedacentralroleinRewearecosystems,withmissionsprimarilyfocusedonsocialoutcomesandRewearrevenuessupporting

broaderactivities.However,newregulationsandshiftingmarketdynamicsarerequiringtheseactorstotakeonmoreoperationalandstrategicroleswithindownstreamcircularvaluechains.Theymayneedtoredefinetheirvaluepropositiontopositionthemselvesandtheirimpactincirculartextilessystems.

SORTINGFORCIRCULARITYIPROJECTREWEAR

ExecutiveSummary

Policymakers:Rebalancemarketincentivesinalandscapethatcurrentlyfavourscheapnewclothing.Thiscouldincluderemovingsubsidiesthatprivilegevirginmaterialproductionandsupportingrepairandreuseactors(forexample,throughVATexemptions),andbydesigningimmanentEPRschemesinawaythatsupportswidespreadimpactwitheco-modulatedfeesallocatedtoallactorsacrossthereversesupplychain(notjustcollection,sortingandrecyclingbutalsoreuseandpreparationforreuse.)

Investorsandfinancialinstitutions:Integrateresourcerisksintooversightanddecision-making,enablingtherecognitionandvaluationofRewearbusinessmodelsandsupportinglong-term

marketshifts.

Ultimately,thisreportcontendsthatRewearcanonlybetransformativeifpairedwithmeasuresthatconstrainoverproductionandpromoteglobalequity.ScalingRewearalone,withoutreducingnewclothingproduction,

willhavelimitedtonoimpact.Butundertherightconditions,businesses,governments,thefinancialsector,

socialenterprises,communitiesandcharitiescanmobilisecollectivelytoeffectivelymobiliseRewearasaviablealternativetolinearconsumption.Thistypeoftransformationrequireseconomyandsocietywidechanges:

thechangesandoutcomesdesiredwillnotbeachievedwithtweaksandinterventionsatthemarginsoftheexistingsystem.Anoverhaulofexistingnormsaroundwhatisvalued,incentivised,andprioritisedisneeded-theextentofthischangerequiresdeepculturalshiftsaswellaseconomicones..

01INTRODUCTION

SORTINGFORCIRCULARITYIPROJECTREWEAR

Chapter01:Introduction10

THECOSTOFTHECURRENTFASHIONSYSTEM

Thehumanandenvironmentalcostsoftoday'sfashionsystemarewell-known.345Thefastfashionmodelrunsonanacceleratedtake-make-waste’cycle,whichwhilehighlyprofitableisdeeplyentwinedwithresource

depletionandexploitation.678Althoughdataisscarce,someestimatessuggestthatlessthan2%ofgarmentworkersmakealivingwage,⁹withwomenandmarginalisedgroups—58-80%oftheworkforce—themost

affected.°Thetextilesindustryisresponsiblefor2-8%ofglobalgreenhousegas(GHG)emissions,"usesaround15,000chemicals,²consume215trillionlitresofwaterannually,andcontributeroughly9%ofglobalmicroplasticpollution.³

Despitebrands'sustainabilitypledges,just0.3%ofmaterialsarekeptinuseorrecoveredthroughcircular

practices.4Productionissurging,withclothingconsumptionprojectedtorise63%between2015and2030.5

Whileexactoutputsarerarelydisclosed,67estimatessuggest100-150billiongarmentsareproducedeachyear,withupto30%neverbeingsold.8Thisoverproductiondrivesintensivewastegeneration:about92milliontonnesoftextilesarediscardedannually,⁹with61.4%landfilledorincinerated,6.3%recycled,andonly8%reused.20

Againstthebackdropoffashion'sgrowingwastecrisis,extendingthelifeofgarmentsthroughRewearis

gainingrecognitionasacriticalstrategy.TheEUStrategyforSustainableandCircularTextilesidentifies

reuseandRewearasessentialinterventions,yettheyremainunder-prioritisedandunder-fundedcomparedtorecyclingandecodesign.StrengtheningRewearsystemsisvitalforbuildingagenuinelysustainableandinclusive,circularfashionfuture—agoalattheheartofthisreport.

Theriseof'ultra-fastfashion':Acceleratingthechallenge

Ultra-fastfashionrepresentsasharpescalationoftheindustry'sgrowthmodel,withbusinessstructuresbuiltonreal-timetrendresponsiveness,ultra-lowprices,andalgorithm-driven

marketing.Thescaleisunprecedented:inApril2022,H&Mhadadded4,414newstylestoits

website(andBoohoo18,343.)Meanwhile,Sheinhadalreadyintroduced314,877.Sheinhassincebecometheworld'slargestapparelretailer(2023-2024)andthemostGoogledbrandglobally,overtakingNikeandadidas.SuchrelentlessproductturnoverunderminesthepotentialimpactofdownstreamcircularstrategieslikeRewear.Withoutupstreammeasurestoslowdown

production,Rewearbecomesaparallelmarketthatcoexistswith,ratherthancounters,theenvironmentaldamageoffastandultra-fastfashion.

WHATISREWEAR?

Asaninformalpractice,rewearhasbeenaroundaslongasclotheshavebeenworn.Thecollection,sortingandtradingofdiscardedclothingasamoreformalbusinessandtradegoesbacktoaround1850.2'Inthisreport,

reuse'refersspecificallytousingclothesagain,while‘Rewear'encompassesabroadersetofactivitiesthat

extendgarmentlifetime,including:secondhandandvintageshopping;borrowing;fleamarkets;rental;clothinglibraries;swaps;aswellasupcycling;repair;andenablinglogistics.Overtime,secondhandclothingmarkets

havebeenshapedbyshiftingsocialmeanings,economicinequalities,andcolonialhistories.223Today,rewearoffersbothaffordabilityandanethicalchoiceforconsumers,drawingnewactors,frombrandstoinnovators,intothemarket.Yet,mostrewearoccursfarfromthepointofproductconsumptionanddisposal.Around25%oftheEU'sseparatelycollectedtextilesareexported—roughly46%toAfricaand41%toAsia.24Whiletheseitemsoftenfindasecondandthirdlife,theyarealsoatsomepointdiscardedinthesedestinationcountries,

SORTINGFORCIRCULARTYIPROJECTREWEAR

Chapter01:Introduction11

shiftingtheenvironmentalandsocialcostsofEuropeanoverconsumptiontocommunitieswithminimalwasteinfrastructureavailablewhohaveplayedlittletonopartincreatingtheproblem.

RecognisingRewearasacircularpractice,andapartofglobaleconomy,SortingforCircularity:ProjectRewearexaminesthepresentandfutureofRewearintheEU,Ghana,andPakistan.Exploringwhat,where,andhow

clothingisreworn,thisreportquestionshowRewearcontributestoamoresustainablefashionandproposessystem-levelinterventionsrequiredtorealisethispotential.

REWEARACROSSUNEVENGEOGRAPHIES

Thescaleofthesecondhandclothingexporteconomyisvast,withanetmovementofdiscardedtextilesfromhigh-income,high-consumptioncountriestowardslow-incomeandlow-consumptioncountriesaroundthe

world.Thescaleofexportshassurgeddramatically.EUexportsofusedtextileshavetripledsince2000,risingfromjustover550,000tonnestonearly1.7milliontonnesin2023.25ActorsinthisglobalisedRewearvaluechainincludeconsumers,collectors,sorters,traders,middlemen,retailers,regulators,andothers—eachwithdistinctinterests,incentives,andpower.Asaresult,media,policy,industryandculturalperspectivesonReweardiffer,andoftenthemostpopularrepresentationsandopinionssimplifythesocial,environmentalandeconomic

impactsandthecomplexco-existenceofjobs,innovation,andsystemicinjustices.

Textilesexportsonaglobalmarket

TextilesintendedforRewearareexportedunderproductcodeHS6309('wornclothingand

otherwornarticles')intheCombinedNomenclaturesystem,627whilewasteisclassifiedunderHS6310('usedrags,sortedorunsortedtextilewaste').Inpractice,itemsexportedunderHS

6309areoftenmarketsurplus,poorqualityorculturallymisaligned.ExportersmayavoidusingtheHS6310codebecauseofstricterregulationsonwasteshipments,classifyingbothreusableandnon-reusabletextilesunderHS6309.28Asthecasestudiesinthisreportwillillustrate,itemsexportedunderHS6309frequentlyincludemarketsurplus,poor-qualitygarments,anditems

thatareculturallymisalignedwithdestinationmarkets,renderingthemeffectivelyunsellableonarrival.Misclassificationobscuresthetruecompositionofexportsandlimitstheabilityofreceivingcountriestoanticipateormanageincomingwastevolumes.

Theproblemiscompoundedbyinconsistentenforcement.Customsauthoritiesinexporting

countriesrarelyhavethecapacityormandatetoinspectbalecontents,anddeclarationsrelylargelyonself-reportingbyexporters.Asaresult,thedataunderpinningglobaltradestatisticsforsecondhandclothingmaysignificantlyunderrepresenttheproportionthatconstitutes

waste,distortingbothpolicydebatesandcorporatesustainabilityclaimsbuiltonresaleandrewearnarratives.

Ontheonehand,theglobalsecondhandclothingtradesupportsawiderangeofjobsinbothexportingand

importingcountries,fromsortersandtraderstomarketretailers,tailorsandtransporters.A2024studyby

Humanaestimatesthatover1.28millionpeopleareemployedinthesecondhandclothingsectorsofAngola,

Guinea-Bissau,Malawi,Mozambique,andZambia,witheachtonneofimportedsecondhandclothinglinked

toanaverageof6.5jobs.29Ontheotherhand,itisessentialtorecognisethatmanyjobslinkedtoimported

secondhandareinformal,necessity-drivenandperpetuatecyclesofpoverty.30InGhanaandKenya,informaltraderspurchasebalesofclothingfromimporters,thelastformalactorsinthevaluechain,withoutguaranteesofqualityorresalepotential.Manytakeondebttosecurethesebales,assumingboththefinancialriskandthecostofdisposingofunsellablegarments.3132

SORTINGFORCIRCULARITYIPROJECTREWEAR

Chapter01:Introduction12

Additionally,oneofthemostwidelycitedsocialimpactsofsecondhandclothingexportsisthatitprovidesaffordableappareltolow-incomepopulations:exportedusedtextilesfromEuropeofferpeopleinreceivingcountriesaccesstoclothingthatmightotherwisebeunaffordableforlargesegmentsofthepopulation.However,likejobs,theprovisionofthisexportedclothingforRewearcannotbeviewedasaneutralor

uncontestedsocialgood.

TheinfluxofWestern-styleclothingostensiblymeetsaconsumerpreferenceinmanyplaces.However,the

qualityofclothingreachingsecondhandmarketsisdecliningovertime.Atthesametime,ithasbeencritiquedforreinforcingaformofculturalimperialism,inwhichtheaestheticsandnormsofdressrootedintheGlobal

Northareprivilegedoverlocalstylesortraditionaltextiles.3³AcademicshavealsocritiquedtheuniversalisationofGlobalNorthdesignsandaestheticsthatissignificantlyreproducedthroughthesecondhandclothing

exportsystem,assertingthattheapparentdemandforsecondhandclothingintheGlobalSouthdoesnot

actuallyreflectlocalneeds',butratheranimplicitneedforcolonialistassimilation.3Further,theperceptionthatclothingwhichisnolonger'goodenough'tobereworn,orimpossibletosellinEurope,is'goodenough,orevenaltruistic,forpeopleinrecipientcountriesrequiresattention.

Fromanenvironmentalperspective,textilewastedisposalinexportdestinationsislinkedtosignificant

environmentalandhealthharms.Thelackofwastemanagementsystemsinplacemeansthatsignificant

volumesoftextilesareinformallydumpedorburned,withwiderangingimpactsonsurroundingecosystems.3536Manyoftheseadverseenvironmentalimpactsstemfromtheincreasingprevalenceofsyntheticfibresin

clothing.Fossilfuel-basedsyntheticshavecometodominateglobalfibreproduction,withpolyesteralone

nowaccountingforaround59%oftotaloutput,ofwhichapproximately88%isfossil-based.37withpolyester

alonemakingupmorethanhalf.38Whendiscardedinunmanagedlandfillsorburnedintheopen,synthetic

microfibresenterecosystems,wheretheydonotbiodegradeandcanpersistinsoilandmarineenvironmentsforcenturies.3940Burningtextilesreleasesheavymetals,acidgases,particulates,anddioxinsintotheair,

contributingtoarangeofadversehealtheffects.1Thefullrangeofrisksposedbyfibrefragmentpollution

remainspoorlyunderstoodastheycandisruptnaturalsystemsevenattracelevels.42.Microfibresarehighly

mobile,makingitdifficulttoquantifytheirdistributionandaccumulationacrossair,soil,andwater,withexistingresearchfocusedpredominantlyonaquaticpathways.Naturalfibresalsoshedsignificantlyandcanpersistintheenvironment,andtheirbiodegradabilitydependsnotonlyonmaterialoriginbutonenvironmentalconditions

andthechemicalandmechanicaltreatmentsappliedduringproduction.4344Adverseenvironmentalimpactsaffectlow-incomeandhistoricallyexploitedcountrieswherediscardedtextilesendupdisproportionately,underscoringtherelevanceofawastecolonialismlenswhenexaminingtheexportofusedtextiles.

WhatisWasteColonialism?

Wastecolonialismreferstothepracticeofexportingwastefromwealthy,high-consuming

countriesintheGlobalNorthtolower-incomecountriesintheGlobalSouth.Thetermwas

firstusedin1989ataUNenvironmentalmeetingtodescribehowrichcountriesoffloadtheir

unwantedmaterials,includinghazardouswaste,ontopoorerregionsthatareoftenlessequippedtomanagethemsafely.

Inthecontextofusedclothing,itplaysoutwhensecondhandtextilesaresentoverseasunderthebannerofreuseorrecycling,butwithoutaguaranteethatthedestinationhassufficient

demandandinfrastructuretosort,resell,rewear,orresponsiblydisposeofwhatcan'tbe

reused.Thisreflectsdeeperpatternsofinequalityro