NewAfricanWoman Issue 49 - Flipbook - Page 37
FEATURE
Will the EU confront “hidden waste” from the
fashion industry?
Although there are EU regulations in place
already to restrict international export of plastic waste, the EU parliament voted in January in
favour of a proposal to ban the export of all plastic waste to non-OECD countries in an effort to
better address the issue.
Currently, only exporting plastic waste that is
hazardous or difficult to recycle is banned.
Whether this will be effective in curbing waste
from the fashion industry is unknown but unlikely.
Since the plastic waste generated by fast fashion in the EU is already categorised as “difficult
to recycle,” the ongoing exportation uncovered
by the report is already “illegal” according to the
current restrictions. Nonetheless, the waste is still
being illegally exported, hidden within bales of
higher-quality clothing that will be recirculated
in Kenya’s second-hand clothing markets.
However, the EU also unveiled a new textiles strategy last year, which directly targets the problems
specific to waste from fast fashion and outlines a
vision of the future where “fast fashion is out of
fashion”, stating:
“By 2030 textile products placed on the EU
market are long-lived and recyclable, to a great
extent made of recycled fibres, free of hazardous substances and produced in respect of social
rights and the environment. Consumers benefit
longer from high quality affordable textiles, fast
fashion is out of fashion, and economically prof-
| FASHION & BEAUTY
itable re-use and repair services are widely available. In a competitive, resilient and innovative
textiles sector, producers take responsibility for
their products along the value chain, including
when they become waste.”
For now, this is one of many steps that must be
taken to reduce the impact of fast fashion on the
environment and vulnerable communities across
the world.
However, as the second round of UN negotiations for an international legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution looms on the
horizon — a UN resolution that was adopted last
year at the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5)
in Nairobi, Kenya — perhaps there is also hope
that small steps like these will lead to a global
end to plastic pollution.
“
Waste from fast fashion is also the
largest contributor of microplastics
to marine environments; 35% of all
microplastics in the ocean originate
from synthetic textiles.
In the meantime, the work to make the EU’s vision
true by 2030 can start now; many people have
the means to make a deliberate choice about the
clothing that they buy, wear, and discard. However,
as long as any one of us is willing to purchase a
shirt that will live in a landfill longer than it will in
our wardrobes, the problem will persist.
■
Grace Stinson is an Editorial Intern at Impakter. She enjoys writing about literature,
health, and travel. (The article is published courtesy of Impakter.com)
Photography:Shutterstock Poetry Photography
A warehouse with bales of second hand.
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March 2023 New African Woman
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