Kenyan Reuse Market – An Example to the World

The US-based Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART), the European Recycling Industries’ Confederation (EuRIC), the UK’s Textile Recycling Association (TRA) and the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) cite the Kenyan reuse market for second-hand clothes as an example to the world.

  • The used clothing textile industry is crucial to Kenya’s economy with two million people directly employed
  • Many of these businesses are operated by women, which helps promote gender equality
  • For every 100 used garments purchased, 60-85 new garments are displaced
  • In turn, that means there is a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and the use of toxins which would have been caused by the production of new textiles
KENYAN REUSE MARKET
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