France’s efforts to impose an EU-wide ban on second-hand clothing exports will be closely watched by dozens of African countries, which receive millions of tonnes of second-hand clothes every year.
On Thursday (March 14th), the French National Assembly approved a new law that will gradually impose fines of up to 10 euros per item of clothing by 2030, as well as a ban on advertising such products.
On the same day, the environment ministry in Paris told Reuters it would push for the EU ban to be discussed at a meeting of EU environment ministers on March 25, with the support of Sweden and Denmark.
“Africa must no longer be the dustbin of fast-fashion,” the ministry said.
Trade data from the United Nations shows that the EU exported 1.4 million tonnes of used textiles in 2022. European Environment Agency report in 2023 showed Europe dumping 90 percent of its used clothes in Africa and Asia, warning that clothes can cause pollution in African countries where items that cannot be resold end up in landfills.
Although France appears to be framing the new law through the prism of combating textile waste and the environmental damage it causes, a ban on the export of used clothing would have significant implications for African states.
Economists argue that imports of cheap second-hand clothes are hindering the development of the local textile industry. Having increased policy space to promote regional production and supply chains is one of the EU’s main demands for both the African Union and individual African states. There are also concerns about the quality of clothes coming from Europe, the United States and Asia.
On the other hand, the market also provides a livelihood for thousands of stall vendors across the continent. Africa consistently imports about $1 billion [β¬0.92bn] of used clothing, accounting for about 30 percent of the global market.
After the vote in the National Assembly in Paris, Chinese fashion giant Shein said the bill would “worse the purchasing power of French consumers, at a time when they are already feeling the impact of the cost of living crisis”.
The East African Community was embroiled in a long-running trade dispute with the US over clothing imports (known as Mitumba in Swahili) between 2016 and 2020, after agreeing to phase out imports of used clothing.
The eight-nation EAC argued that the ban would boost domestic garment manufacturing.
In response, however, the U.S. Recycled and Recycled Textiles Association petitioned the Trump administration that the ban would violate the terms of the African Development and Opportunity Act, which offers tariff- and quota-free access to the U.S. market for African exports.
As a result of pressure from Washington, only Rwanda implemented the agreement and was suspended from AGOA, while Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda – for over 25 percent of second-hand clothing imports into Africa β decided to lift the ban.
The second-hand clothing market in Kenya is significant, with the country importing 185,000 tonnes of second-hand clothing annually, and the industry became a campaign issue ahead of Kenya’s 2022 presidential election when opposition leader Raila Odinga proposed an import ban.
William Ruto, who narrowly defeated Odinga for the presidency, accused his rival of targeting the country’s small businesses that sell imported clothes and other goods.