The darkish facet of the world’s trend habit. Lots of our previous garments, donated
to charities, find yourself in rotting textile mountains in West Africa. It is a story
about how our waste is creating an environmental catastrophe.
Have you ever ever considered what occurs to your previous garments after you drop them off on the
op store? It is perhaps time to start out, as a result of these goodwill gestures are serving to to gas an environmental disaster on the opposite facet of the world.
When charities in Australia can’t promote donated clothes, tonnes of it finally ends up being exported to
nations like Ghana, in West Africa. Ship after ship docks each week with bales from Europe,
the US, China and Australia.
They name them ‘Lifeless White Man’s Garments’. As soon as they arrive in Ghana, they’re taken to the
bustling Kantamanto markets within the capital Accra and from right here, they make their option to
villages and cities throughout the nation.
The business offers jobs for hundreds of individuals, like Asare Asamoah, a profitable importer.
He brings in garments, primarily from the UK, and in the event that they’re good high quality, he could make
an honest dwelling.
Nevertheless it’s dangerous enterprise. He has to pay upfront for a bale and by no means is aware of whether or not it’s trash or
treasure. With low-cost, quick trend flooding the world, the standard of the garments arriving in
Ghana is getting worse and worse.
‘Generally you’ve gone and purchased one thing, then you definitely don’t get what you need’, says
Asamoah. ‘Then you definitely lose your cash.”
And there’s a darkish facet to this business.
Correspondent Linton Besser travels to Ghana to uncover the soiled secret behind the world’s
trend habit.
Whereas 60 per cent of imported trend objects are reused and resold, 40 per cent are garbage,
creating an environmental disaster for this poor nation.
With the primary dumpsite for textile waste now full, unregulated dumpsites ring the town. These
fetid garments mountains are sometimes set on hearth, filling the skies with acrid smoke.
‘It’s completely a disservice to us on this a part of the world as a result of we’ve develop into kind of the
dumping floor for the textile waste that’s produced from Europe, from the Americas”, says
Accra’s waste supervisor, Solomon Noi.
Emmanuel Ajaab imports used garments from Australia however he despairs on the poor high quality of the
garments that arrive. From a bale of about 200 clothes, he finds solely seven he can resell at a
good value.
“In Europe and UK and Australia, America, they assume Africa right here, sorry to say, we’re not like a
human being”, he tells Overseas Correspondent.
The dumped textiles additionally get swept up within the monsoonal rains and find yourself choking the town’s
waterways and seashores, posing a hazard to fishermen and aquatic life. Liz Ricketts, who runs
an NGO campaigning for consciousness of Ghana’s textile waste disaster, lays the blame on the toes
of worldwide trend homes.
“Waste is part of the enterprise mannequin of trend. A number of manufacturers overproduce by as much as 40 per
cent”, says Ricketts.
Noi begs the individuals who donate their garments to assume twice about the place they find yourself.
“If they arrive right here, such as you’ve come, and also you see the practicality for your self, then they may
know that, no, we higher care for these items inside our nation and to not ship that
downside to trigger issues to different individuals.”
About Overseas Correspondent:
Overseas Correspondent is the prime-time worldwide public affairs program on Australia’s nationwide broadcaster, ABC-TV. We produce half-hour length in-depth reviews for broadcast throughout the ABC’s tv channels and digital platforms. Since 1992, our groups have journeyed to greater than 170 nations to report on warfare, pure calamity and social and political upheaval – by means of the eyes of the individuals on the coronary heart of all of it.
Contributions could also be eliminated in the event that they violate ABC’s On-line Phrases of Use (Part 3). That is an official Australian Broadcasting Company YouTube channel
source
It’s no time to suffer! Need to educate and create ways to recycle in Africa! We’re all in one bale!
It seems that the whole world have joined the 'throw away' club. I live in a less privilaged country in Africa where even those soiled, grubby clothes would be cleaned up, mended, and appreciated. People here don't consume on credit and live below the poverty datum line. Bale clothing is still beyond the means of many and clothing is handed on and on. Their lives have more pressing needs such as food, and clothes are kept to the basics, sometimes even shoes are a privilage. I shudder at the waste.
my god…..
I wish Bangladesh or Inda would ban producing since the western world cant stop buying and since we live as selfish as can be. Prayers for the place who get our waste. Im so sorry, i wish everyone would do there part
I deleted my SheIn app after realizing how much clothes I dump out every year. I don't need 5 pairs of cheap sandals that break after one season… What was I thinking???
As a seamstress, charity shops are currupt now. Prices are half new, any quality stuff is snapped up out the back. Developing cou tries need seed, not fashion rejects.
Because of this so called modern, developed, Western nations the world is suffering as always and still they are behaving like they are the people who are concerned for this environment. Total hypocrisy at display.
It is indeed very bad/unlucky for the importers to get some of the bad condition clothes. But I just thought they should at least give away/donate the clothes or sell at a discount rather than throwing away the goods.
I don't understand if the clothes originally supposed to be as donated clothes so why do they have to pay for the goods to be imported? And now the blame was on the country of origin for dumping second-hand clothes. These all are a real mess.
I've notice that all of these documentaries about this are using the same script. I've seen a similar Documentary and these paid sponsor white supremacy fashion industry are not put under the microscope, Media corporations only deal with the symptoms and never touch on the source just like with plastics. Stop with the bull jive and come to an overstanding of what, where and who is the real problem.
we need "compassionate capitalism" rather than "profit over people or environmental capitalism".
Unreal. When I was young, I can remember churches sending clothes to Africa in the 70's. This story was so sad.
A Next man trash is a next man 🗑 trash.
Burn the waste. Generate electricity.
They dump their waste in Africa, then they say Africa is dirty!🙄
😪😥
Don’t buy clothes in bulk , problem solved,
That's make me feel so sad about the world we created
I'm watching this again, feeling guilty about the two new shirts I bought over the weekend. I'm usually the queen of repurposing and wearing things to death, but I had a slip.
We all say "We throw it away" but there is NO SUCH PLACE AS AWAY. The plastic cup you threw away yesterday is still here, even tho you cannot see it anymore.
My Grandparents Owned about 2 Used clothing Factories. One In South America and One In Asia. As I get into this Business, We don't ship out bad or un sellable clothing like other companies do. And bring jobs and clothe the People that can't afford brand new name brands in main outlets. This video is VERY Biased. And singles out all exporters as "Bad eggs". When there are good companies that only ship high grade items. I don't condone the shipment of unsellable items. I stand behind my business and will continue to bring opportunities to those that need it.
So they can't recycle???
Why do the clothes have to be “white mans clothes” most every body in the world wears these, most countries that aren’t third world countries so why don’t we just call them “clothes from the west”
I will never buy clothes again. Instead I'll repair the old ones.
😢😢😢😢😢
Wow this will make me stop buying clothing…. it's disgusting what us humans do to this planet. Having said that people are making a living …catch 22
"dead white man's clothes"? bruh wtf, you are telling me non white people don't wear clothes? that's racist.