A leading environmental group, Greenpeace Africa has called on the Ghanaian government to ban the importation of second-hand clothing commonly referred to as “foss,” “broni wawu” or “bend down boutique” and textile waste from the global north, warning of the severe environmental and health risks these imports pose.
Speaking in Accra, at the launch of a report titled “Fast Fashion, Slow Poison: The Toxic Textile Crisis in Ghana,” Project Lead of the Pan-African Plastics Project, Hellen Kahaso Dena says, textile waste often contains harmful chemicals that can contaminate soil and water, disrupt ecosystems, and damage public health.
Head of Investigations at Greenpeace Africa, Mr. Sam Quashie-Idun, revealed that 7.5 million articles of old clothing arrive at Accra’s Kantamanto Market each week, with half being of low quality and made from synthetic fibres.
Stallholders estimate that up to 60 percent of these items are unsellable and often end up in informal dumps or are burned, releasing hazardous chemicals.
The group urged the government to enact laws to ensure only re-sellable and usable clothing is imported,” They also called for the implementation of the ‘Polluter Pays Principle,’ pushing the Global North to take responsibility for the damage caused by the international trade in used clothing.
Source: GNA
