Among the fundamental principles of the circular economy understood as “a model of production and consumption which consists of sharing, reusing, repairing, renovating and recycling existing products and materials for as long as possible so that they retain their values”, always appears in the background, the improvement of the living conditions of populations on all levels because human well-being is always at the heart of the implementation of all public policies or measures aimed at solving priority problems which will always require in the majority of cases, partnerships of extreme importance, especially for the populations of poor countries who, faced with the reality of growing precariousness despite the potential, still find reasons for satisfaction in the informal sector and in particular the sale of clothing that has already been used elsewhere.

If European, American and even Japanese consumers among others can massively afford clothes that cost several tens of euros or dollars, in sub-Saharan Africa on the other hand where the purchasing power is much lower than that of these countries, a large majority of consumers cannot afford clothes fresh from the factory which for some find a second life in Africa in general and in sub-Saharan Africa in particular on the one hand, after years of use outside the African continent, and on the other hand, because of an overproduction which does not always meet the objectives of producers, some of whom are always keen to offer something new in a hurry which for lack of finding enough buyers on the local markets of the major fashion industries, answer anyway and at a lower cost to growing external demands due in particular to demographic growth on a global scale favourable to the progressive development of the marketing of second-hand clothing in the world and in sub-Saharan Africa in particular.  

An ever-increasing demand

One of the multiple advantages of globalization is that, it serves an essential complementarity in international relations. To transform into wealth, potential always needs financing and vice versa. And even when we are a country producing raw materials, we still need to have a processing capacity that a large majority of sub-Saharan African countries do not have, and are instead content with the sale of raw products whose Marketing does not represent much compared to the added value generated by the processing industries. The fact that developed countries depend on raw materials coming from sub-Saharan Africa in particular, benefits more these countries which have a strong processing and marketing capacity which promotes another dependence resembling interdependence between poor countries and rich, which is quite simply the consequence of trade liberalization more advantageous for rich countries.

Being cotton producers is therefore not enough to respond quantitatively and qualitatively to local demand which continues to grow. Thrift store clothes find a second life in Africa where they enable job creation, meeting demands and tax revenues. The United States of America is a leader in the sale of second-hand clothing, thanks in particular to the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMRTA). Africa is the ultimate destination for unsold items from sales in other continents and at very affordable prices, which allow local traders to make good deals. An activity which continue due to an ever-increasing demand across the planet and particularly in sub-Saharan Africa for both charitable and commercial reasons. Already in 1854 according to researchers, 1270 tons of new and old clothing were exported from France; thirteen years later, it was 1838 tons to satisfy not only African demands, but also those of the Sartic and Hanseatic States which were respectively the product of the fusion of ancient Iranian populations with warriors and settlers from Turco-Mongol tribes in an empire which was called Russian Turkestan for the first, and the historical association of the merchant cities of Northern Europe around the North Sea and the Baltic Sea for the second.

Today with the demographic growth and especially the low purchasing power of certain populations around the world and in sub-Saharan Africa in particular, there are more and more requests. According to the International Trade Center (ITC), which is an organization that advocates for international trade for the good of all, France exports hundreds of tons of second-hand dress each year. In 2018, of the 171,000 tons of second-hand clothes exported by France, 69,000 tons went to Africa, 50,000 to Europe, and 47,000 to Asia. A case which highlights the considerable importance of international mercantile activity which however, contributes greatly to weakening the local economies of sub-Saharan Africa, particularly to the point where Rwanda has chosen from July 2016 to overtax imported clothing and ban second-hand clothes. A courageous initiative that not all countries can afford in the face of underemployed populations and constant demands. Furthermore, in an economic context characterized by interests, we understand why Rwanda is no longer part of the list of beneficiaries of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a law which regulates free trade relations between United States of America and African countries the vast majority of which are not structured enough to do without a set of strategic agreements which favour the largest exporters.

In 2021 according to a report from B2B, an agency specializing in clothing and textiles, African imports of second-hand clothing recorded an increase of 28.84%, or more than $1.73 billion, which would be equivalent to 34% of total world exports. Clothing mainly from China, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Korea with export rates that exceed 100%, particularly those from China. This makes the development of a clothing industry in Africa more difficult due in particular to bad competition which has imposed itself in geographical contexts where populations are attracted by very moderate prices which their leaders cannot not always offer them through tiny local productions and even less encourage a nationalism of consumption in a world where surpluses always have millions of takers outside, in economies which can only be satisfied with it for the moment.

Thrift store clothes find a second life in Africa where they enable job creation, satisfaction of demands and tax revenues. Image: Alison Mckellar

The overproduction and overconsumption of clothing has led to environmental problems on a global scale. Image: greenpeace.fr

A satisfactory activity; but?

Thrift shopping is essential today, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This activity which is developing all over the world, allows the entry into a new consumption cycle, clothes already used elsewhere by giving them a new market value which is good for both local and international economies, even if the downside of the strong environmental impact that this activity generate, is certainly not negligible.  Indeed, between growing demand and satisfaction subject to controversy, there is the environmental impact of this activity in Africa. In addition to the international and local transports of goods which further contributes to air pollution via trucks, ships and planes, there is the flow of used clothing which ends up in open-air bins which further aggravates the difficulty of managing household waste.

The overproduction and overconsumption of clothing has led to environmental problems on a global scale which prove that the protection of nature is above all a collective affair before being individual because the development of an activity generating income for the scale of the planet like that of the thrift store, always leads to consequences which also require other investments proportionate to the profits from sales, to further reduce the environmental impact of this activity on a global scale. It is also important to note that the sorting work started outside, continues inside the continent. If in fact, those who started this work out of the continent believe that the quality of these clothes is good, the buyer-reseller who is in sub-Saharan Africa in particular, does not always perceive things in the same way. This is the reason why after receiving the balls or bundles, some clothes end up directly in the trash. Some of them (second-hand clothes) undergo modifications, while buyers who themselves, after several years of use, are obliged to throw away unusable or expired clothing according to them.

If there will always be clothing that ends up in the trash, particularly in Africa, or recycled elsewhere given that these are the final destinations of all garments, whether or not they are the subject of multiple transatlantic voyages, we can still mitigate the impact on the environment by also thinking about putting more resources into limiting the emission of greenhouse gases and the degradation of soils and the environment, particularly through the creation of subsidiaries of clothing producing companies in Africa and in providing for cycle ends by incineration that respects ecological standards.

Overproduction must be limited to further supplying local markets to limit greenhouse gas emissions through subcontracting and also allow local businesses to prosper because, when it is only large industries that produce in exaggerated ways in particular by carrying out continuous renewal to satisfy the present moment without really thinking about the next moment, if the second-hand clothing activity will always suit operators in the sector, the impacts on the environment will be more considerable. Note that the biggest polluters on the planet, namely China, Europe and the United States among others, are the leading exporters of second-hand clothing to Africa. This means that it is no longer a local problem but a global problem which requires urgent measures. We must give ourselves the means to manage the environmental damage generated by the quest for profit.

Globalization combined with demographic growth contributes to generating environmental problems on a global scale and particularly in Africa which can be resolved by the creation of production factories in Africa for African populations and on the scale of each Territory to manage waste even better and not take Africa for a universal income-generating landfill without taking into account the impact of this activity on the health of the populations. Anyone who contributes to generating more environmental problems outside their geographical area must automatically participate actively in the fight against the degradation of external ecosystems and in sub-Saharan Africa in particular by providing the necessary means, and not by only providing very profitable partial solutions which are limited to the trade in second-hand clothing by the growing development of second-hand clothes which further contributes to aggravating environmental problems, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.  But we must not lose sight of the fact that, if there were not these demands for clothing on a global scale as well as the consumer market that they constitute, it would have been necessary to find a way to satisfy a growing demand with products produced locally and at lower costs. We must therefore not just say that Africa is a dumping ground for clothes already used elsewhere, but ask ourselves what this mercantile activity which also has very good traceability despite the fact that it excels in the informal sector, brings to our economies, and what we must do, to eradicate the artificial reliefs it generates?

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