The Apparel Recovery Coalition (ARC), a new global initiative involving four major fashion companies, has been launched at the Kantamanto Market in Accra to explore ways of addressing the environmental and social impacts of the global second-hand clothing trade.
The coalition, co-founded by H&M Group, Inditex, Bestseller, Adidas and The Or Foundation, with Circle Economy serving as an independent facilitator, seeks to develop systems through which fashion producers contribute to reuse, upcycling, recycling and responsible textile waste management in countries such as Ghana, which receive large volumes of second-hand clothing.
Ghana will serve as the coalition’s first demonstration project, with ARC exploring how producer responsibility contributions could support the country’s existing circular textile economy.
Under the project, The Or Foundation will continue initiatives in Accra, including improvements to infrastructure at Kantamanto, environmental remediation and training programmes.
The broader objective is to demonstrate how financial contributions from fashion producers could support reuse, recycling and responsible waste disposal in countries that receive exported second-hand clothing.
Representatives of the fashion companies joined members of the Kantamanto Obroniwawu Businesses Association (KOBA) and other stakeholders at the market for the launch.
Global community
Speaking on behalf of the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, Dr Julius Debrah, the Deputy Presidential Spokesperson, Shamima Muslim, said the location of the launch was significant because it brought global fashion companies directly to the community affected by the international second-hand clothing trade.
“I thank the Kantamanto Obroniwawu Businesses Association, KOBA, and The Or Foundation for inviting the Presidency to this market, not a hotel conference room, but here, where the real work happens,” she said.
She described the launch as a major step towards recognising the contribution of communities such as Kantamanto to keeping the global fashion industry circular.
“For the first time, big brands are coming to Kantamanto not to take pictures but to acknowledge that communities such as Kantamanto have kept global fashion circular and that they must pay their fair share,” she said.
Traders’ remark
The President of KOBA, Rev. Opoku Afreh, said the association expected the initiative to build on the knowledge and skills developed by traders and workers at Kantamanto over several decades.
He said the association wanted members to have access to infrastructure, investment and opportunities to expand their businesses, improve their livelihoods and strengthen sustainable practices within the market.
The Secretary of the Kantamanto Women’s Association, Mrs Gifty Anderson, said decisions concerning the fashion industry had traditionally been made by companies outside Ghana, while communities such as Kantamanto were left to deal with the consequences.
She described the engagement as “a small but important step” towards addressing the concerns of the market community.
The coalition said existing producer responsibility systems were largely linked to markets where products were initially sold, despite the fact that used textiles often cross borders before reaching their final destination.
Textile export
According to the European Environment Agency, about 1.4 million tonnes of used textiles are exported from the European Union every year, mainly to countries in Africa and Asia.
Over the next two years, ARC will develop and test a producer responsibility blueprint designed to reflect the international movement of used clothing.
