Trashion : The stealth export of waste plastic clothes to Kenya

The report exposes how the used-clothing trade is used by the Global North to export plastic waste to Kenya. It estimates that over 300 million items of synthetic, unsellable clothing are exported to Kenya annually, leading to severe environmental pollution in the Nairobi River and at dumpsites like Dandora. The investigation highlights the failure of sorting at the source and the role of recycling companies that claim circularity while exporting waste. It recommends the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, eco-design requirements, and a virgin plastic tax to curb overproduction and the export of synthetic waste.

• An estimated 307 million items of synthetic-fibre clothing exported to Kenya annually are considered waste, meaning more than one in three pieces of used clothing shipped to the country is effectively plastic waste.
• Market traders in Kenya report that 20% to 50% of the clothing in imported bales is unsellable due to damage, stains, inappropriate sizing, or being unfit for the local climate and style.
• Low-grade waste textiles, known as 'fagia', are frequently dumped in the Nairobi River or burned as fuel for activities such as roasting peanuts, causing local residents to inhale toxic smoke from synthetic fabrics.
• The Dandora dumpsite, one of Africa's largest, receives approximately 4,000 tonnes of waste daily from Nairobi and contains significant layers of synthetic clothing waste embedded in the soil.
• Recycling companies and sustainability initiatives, such as WRAP’s Textiles 2030 and Fashion for Good’s Sorting for Circularity, are linked to companies exporting waste clothing to Kenya, contradicting their claims of driving circularity.
• Pakistan serves as a significant transit hub for used clothing from the EU and UK, where items are sorted due to lower labour costs before being re-exported to Kenya, which obscures the original source of the waste.
• Clothing from major global brands, including H&M, M&S, Nike, and Zara, was identified among the waste and fagia dumped in Kenyan landfills and rivers.
• The report argues that the current system of used-clothing trade is at a breaking point and requires comprehensive legislation, including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and a virgin plastic tax, to stop the export of synthetic waste.

APA

Trunk, U., Harding-Rolls, G., Banegas, X., Urbancic, N., Rautner, M., & Holkar, V. (2023). Trashion : The stealth export of waste plastic clothes to Kenya. Changing Markets Foundation. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/CM-Trashion-online-reports-layout.pdf

Chicago

Trunk, Urska, George Harding-Rolls, Ximena Banegas, Nusa Urbancic, Mario Rautner, and Veena Holkar. Trashion : The stealth export of waste plastic clothes to Kenya. Changing Markets Foundation, 2023. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/CM-Trashion-online-reports-layout.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Trunk |first1=Urska |last2=Harding-Rolls |first2=George |last3=Banegas |first3=Ximena |last4=Urbancic |first4=Nusa |last5=Rautner |first5=Mario |last6=Holkar |first6=Veena |title=Trashion : The stealth export of waste plastic clothes to Kenya |publisher=Changing Markets Foundation |date=February 2023 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/CM-Trashion-online-reports-layout.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{trunk2023trashion, author = {Trunk, Urska and Harding-Rolls, George and Banegas, Ximena and Urbancic, Nusa and Rautner, Mario and Holkar, Veena}, title = {{Trashion : The stealth export of waste plastic clothes to Kenya}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2023}, month = feb, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/CM-Trashion-online-reports-layout.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }