ROME, May 18 (IPS) – As money-making companies have turned Asia and Africa into their low-cost factories, to produce and market their clothes and shoes at higher prices and make more profit by selling to these two continents around 90% of all their used waste and textile waste.
Not only that: such an activity alleviates the harsh environmental impacts of the lucrative clothing and fashion industry, and the costs of recycling and eliminating the remains of these products.
Just know that textiles are, on average, “the fourth largest source of pressure on the environment and climate change from a European consumption perspective”, European Environment Agency (EEA) on April 26, 2023 reported.
Consequently, Europe faces major challenges in managing used textiles, including textile waste.
Europe exports much more than textile waste
Lars MortensenEEA expert on circular economy, confirms that textile production and consumption in the EU have a significant impact on the environment and climate.
“Textile consumption causes the third largest land use and water use in the value chain, and the fifth largest material resource use and greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, textiles cause pressure and the impact of their chemicals on the environment and the climate”.
The poisonous plastic
A 27 January 2023 EEA review focuses on another big problem: plastic.
“Plastic-based – or ‘synthetic’ – textiles are woven into everyday life in Europe, in the clothes we wear, the towels and sheets, the carpets, curtains and pillows. And they are found in seat belts, car tires, work clothes and sports clothes.”
Synthetic textile fibers are made from fossil fuel resources, such as oil and natural gascontinues the review, adding that their production, consumption and related waste management generate greenhouse gas emissions, use non-renewable resources and can release microplastics.
Consumers in the EU annually throw away around 5.8 million tonnes of textiles – around 11 kg per person – of which around two-thirds consist of synthetic fibres, according to to the briefing.
“In Europe, about a third of textile waste is collected separately, and a large part is exported.”
Africa and Asia are therefore the main destinations for these toxic fibers.
Simply put: by exporting European used clothes and textile waste, their effects necessarily fall on Africans and Asians.
A highly uncertain fate
In fact, “as reuse and recycling capacity in Europe is limited, a large proportion of the used textiles collected in the EU are traded and exported to Africa and Asia, and their fate is highly uncertainsays the European Environment Agency.
In fact, over the past two decades, Africa has been the main continent receiving used textiles from the European Union (EU), importing more than 60% of EU exports.
But in the year 2000 Asia received only 26% of EU exports, by 2019 it had increased its share significantly to 41% of EU imports. This is almost equal to Africa, which still imported 46% of EU exports.
Where do used clothes end up?
In it African countries studied, the EES report says that imports of used textiles appear to be mainly intended for local reuse. This is because there is a demand for cheap, second-hand clothing from Europe, which seems to be preferable to new garments.
“What is not suitable for reuse mostly ends up in open dumps and informal waste streams.”
IN AsiaBut most of the textiles used are imported into so-called economic zones where they are sorted and processed. In the countries studied for this review, imports for local reuse are limited.
Instead, used textiles appear to be recycled locally, mostly turned down into industrial rags or stuffing, or re-exported either for recycling in other Asian countries or reuse in Africa.
“Textiles that cannot be recycled or re-exported are likely to end up in the general waste management system, most of which is landfill.”
The big numbers…
According to this European Union (EU) agency that “provides knowledge and data to support Europe’s environmental and climate goals”:
- The amount of used textiles exported from the EU has tripled over the past two decades from just over 550,000 tonnes in 2000 to almost 1.7 million tonnes in 2019.
- The fate of used textiles exported from the EU is highly uncertain. The perception of donations of used clothes as generous gifts to people in need does not fully correspond to reality,
- Used clothing is increasingly part of a specialized and traded global commodity value chain,
- During 2019, 46% of the textiles used ended up in Africa: Imported, used textiles on this continent primarily go to local reuse because there is a demand for cheap, second-hand clothes from Europe. What is not suitable for reuse usually ends up in open landfills and informal waste streams,
- During 2019, 41% of the textiles used ended up in Asia. Most of the textiles used on this continent are imported into special economic zones where they are sorted and processed,
- The textiles used are mostly downcycled into industrial rags or filling, or re-exported for recycling in other Asian countries or for reuse in Africa. Textiles that cannot be recycled or re-exported are likely to end up in landfills.
… The major export hubs
“Some EU countries, such as Germany, Poland and the Netherlands, have exported more than others and appear to have acted as import-export hubs for used textiles from the EU.”
There is no clear reason to explain why five out of 27 EU member states and the UK account for around 75% of all EU used textile exports, the EES adds.
Therefore, it is likely that the largest exporters have sent used textiles abroad, collected locally and from other EU countries, the European agency said.
Another reason for the concentration of exports to a few EU countries may thus be that these large exporting countries function as export hubs.
“In other words, they import used textiles from other EU member states for re-export outside the EU. International shipping ports/ports in some of these countries make them logical export hubs.”
Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands have major export ports.
… and the big increase
EU exports of used textiles have increased significantly over the past two decades, EEA reportsand explains that exports of textile waste outside the EU have increased steadily to reach 1.4 million tonnes in 2020.
Yet another problem emerges: how to avoid waste streams being wrongly labeled as used goods when exported from the EU and thus escaping the waste regime?
The EU’s exports of used textiles are characterized by a lot of uncertainty, EES adds. Firstly, there is uncertainty about the types of textiles being exported and their quality.
In other words, it says, if used textiles exported from the EU are of too low a quality to be reused, or are not reused very long or do not replace new clothing purchases, they may not really replace new production or benefit the environment.
“Instead, the export will only lead to more textiles ending up in landfills.”
© Inter Press Service (2023) — All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
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