Interview with Jackie King

Jackie King
Executive Director
Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART)

The secondhand clothing are not unwanted goods 'dumped' in Africa

The Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART) works towards strengthening the economic opportunities by promoting the interdependence of the for-profit textile recycling industry segments. In conversation with Fibre2Fashion, Jackie King, executive director of SMART, talks about the advantages of the secondhand clothing industry and the impracticalities of the ban proposed by the East African Community on recycled textiles.

What are the main advantages of recycling textiles and clothing items?

There are environmental, social and economic advantages to reusing and recycling textiles and clothing items. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, two million tons of textiles are currently recycled annually, which has a major impact on reducing greenhouse gases. In fact, recycling those two million tons is the equivalent of removing one million cars from America's highways-far more than the impact of recycling yard trimmings, glass and plastic and nearly equals the impact of aluminium recycling.

Further, the recycled textiles industry:

Reduces the need for landfill space by diverting textiles from the waste stream
Decreases the use of natural resources such as water used in growing crops and petroleum used in creating new clothing and textiles
Cuts down on the need for dyes and fixing agents used in manufacturing new textiles
Lessens pollution generated in the manufacturing process
The reuse and recycling of textiles involves mostly human labour and are far less energy/water/resource-intensive or polluting than other recycling industries.

In terms of social and economic benefits, respected non-governmental organisations like Oxfam applaud the secondhand clothing industry because its clothing sales create jobs and affordable apparel in numerous lesser developed countries. Many people in these countries simply cannot afford locally made new clothing, and in fact earn their livelihood by selling used clothing.

How does recycling clothes help the economy as well as the environment?

The secondary materials and recycled textiles market is an estimated $1 billion industry with tremendous economic impact around the globe. International trade is a critical component of the textile industry's success. In 2014, the US directly exported nearly $41 million worth of secondhand clothing. However, US sourced used clothing is also shipped into Canada, India, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Honduras and Mexico where it is processed and then re-exported to other countries. These goods are equal to another $106 million worth of secondhand clothing. Together, this equals $147 million, or about 21 per cent of the US industry's total exports each year.

In addition to this $147 million, untold millions more benefit the coffers of our partner charities like Goodwill Industries, St. Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army. In all, more than 60 per cent of recovered textile waste, or 1.4 billion pounds of used clothing, is sent abroad to more than 100 countries - creating hundreds of thousands of jobs worldwide and 20,000 people directly employed by textile recyclers in the US alone.

To add to this direct impact, SMART member companies purchase excess textile donations from charities and commercial sources (i.e. nonprofits, thrift stores, hospitals, hotels and industrial laundries etc.). The purchase of unusable donations provides additional funds to charitable organisations and serves as a critical source of revenue to support their ongoing, community-based programs.

What measures are adopted by SMART to create awareness regarding the necessity for recycling clothing items?

Education is a critical component of SMART's mission. The average American puts 81 pounds of clothing, footwear or textiles into local landfills or waste-to-energy facilities every year. In the US, more than 13 million tons of solid municipal waste is generated annually that is exclusively clothing and other household textiles; of this amount, only 15.3 per cent is recycled even though 95 per cent of all clothing and textile products can be reused or recycled into new products.

Through a program focussed on elementary education, SMART has reached more than 1 million students by providing grade-appropriate resources for educators on the benefits of recycling used clothing and household textiles. These materials continue to be offered for free on the SMART website for schools and educators to use. SMART also supports state and local governments around the US in their recycling and education efforts, and has partnered with the states of Massachusetts, Washington, New York, Rhode Island and Connecticut among others on a variety of initiatives. Finally, SMART provides free, online resources on our website that highlighting the facts about the textile reuse and recycling industry. SMART has also developed multiple videos on the industry which can be found on our website.

Secondhand clothing is being perceived as unwanted products from developed countries that are being dumped on the African market. Please comment.

Billions of pounds of secondhand clothing are in demand and being purchased globally, while very little, if any, of apparel manufactured in developing countries is sold within those countries. The secondhand clothing that American exporters ship into the African market is prepared and selected specifically to meet the price and quality demands of African populations and are not unwanted goods 'dumped' in that market.

In fact, the secondhand clothing industry helps close the loop on post-consumer textile waste, and the real story is that individuals in Africa continue to demand the clothing and footwear that provide them the greatest utility. Keep in mind that many of these people live on as little as $1-$2 or less per day, and would be hard pressed if they had to rely exclusively on higher-priced new apparel as opposed to quality, affordable, secondhand clothing.

What is your take on East African Committee's (EAC) decision to phase out secondhand clothing by the year 2019?

The ban directly contradicts requirements that African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) beneficiaries work towards eliminating 'barriers to United States trade and investment' and promote 'economic policies to reduce poverty'. SMART seeks the reversal of the EAC's ban and the roll back of the recently increased duties in EAC member nations no later than the next EAC Heads of State Summit expected to be held this month. Should the EAC fail to reverse their decisions, SMART will pursue an out-of-cycle review of their AGOA eligibility and duty-free access to the US market with the aim of promoting economic, humanitarian and environmental welfare for the people of the EAC and the US.

In addition to the impact on the US, the proposed ban will have devastating economic impacts throughout the EAC, costing hundreds of thousands perhaps even millions of jobs. Although concrete numbers can be hard to find due to the variable nature of the industry, one need merely walk through the various markets or used clothing centres in Kampala or Nairobi to see the kind of highly meaningful employment that secondhand clothing imports create in the East African Community. Indeed, researchers and officials estimate that buying, selling, repairing and/or altering secondhand clothing and shoes generate hundreds of thousands if not millions of jobs in the EAC, providing East African workers the ability to support themselves and provide for their families. Eliminating these jobs will force these entrepreneurs and others into poverty at a time when these countries cannot withstand any additional economic hardship.

Does importing secondhand clothing really affect the textile manufacturing industry of East Africa, according to you?

Globally, there is no evidence to support the claim that the import of secondhand clothing negatively affects the local textile manufacturing industry. On the contrary, there are a number of countries including Pakistan, Guatemala and Honduras where the secondhand clothing and new textile manufacturing sectors coexist harmoniously. The decline of the East African textile manufacturing industry specifically can be attributed to a number of other factors not related to the secondhand clothing industry as we outlined in our recent joint statement with the UK-based Textile Recycling Association.

Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that very little, if any, of apparel manufactured in developing countries is sold within those countries; it is specifically designed to be sold to the Western markets. As Oxfam points out, new clothing businesses in developing countries can make more money producing clothing for export to wealthier countries in Europe and North America than selling them locally. Most, if not all, textiles manufactured in Africa are exported for sale in developed countries, including the US and UK, as opposed to being sold where they were created.

Finally, to our knowledge, few countries in East Africa currently have a robust textile manufacturing industry in place, yet by banning secondhand clothing from the US, they would forego tens of millions of dollars in custom duties each year, with little or no opportunity to replace that lost revenue. The development of the domestic textile industries within the EAC countries is worthwhile and should be supported. However, those activities should not preclude the availability of much needed, affordable, quality secondhand clothing. They create vast numbers of jobs and substantial tariff revenue, and provide those with limited resources the opportunity to clothe themselves. Eliminating access to secondhand apparel will not help grow the domestic textile industries - it will only create severe economic hardship and will open the door to a deluge of cheap Chinese and Asian imports and illegal smuggling.

Is there a market for secondhand clothing in developed countries like the US and the UK? Are you taking any measures to expand the market in the developed nations?

At SMART, we see a very active thrift and consignment market in the US with the continued growth of our members like Savers, the largest thrift retailer in North America with 333 locations and 22,000 employees. We also have many members who sell to thrift and consignment shops throughout the US as well as abroad.

Recent research indicates that the resale market will continue to climb. US based online secondhand retailer ThredUp's 2016 Resale Report projects that the total US resale market will outpace all e-commerce and retail sectors over the next 10 years and reach $25 billion by 2025, with offline thrift sales holding steady at $12 billion through 2025.

Published on: 22/11/2016

DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.