FACTSHEET

THE METRICS

THE METRICS

1 Bale of clothing = ~55kgs / 120lbs

1 Container of clothing = ~ 550 bales = 30,250kgs

1 Million = 1,000,000
1 Billion = 1,000,000,000
1 Trillion = 1,000,000,000,000

THE BASICS

FACT	LINK/REF
In Uganda, a new woman’s top costs between 25,000 and 60,000 Uganda Shillings, equivalent to $6.5 and $16.	REPORT: The Impact of Secondhand Clothes and Shoes in East Africa
In Uganda, a second hand woman’s top costs as low as. 2,000 Uganda Shillings, equivalent to 50 cents, USD.	REPORT: The Impact of Secondhand Clothes and Shoes in East Africa

CONSUMPTION

FACT	SOURCE
“Data suggests that up to 70% of garments in home wardrobes may be inactive.”	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
“Most people have over 20 free T-shirts in their closet. And T-shirts are the first to be donated, with people on average donating 5 shirts a year.”	Sustainable Fashion Initiative study via “Fashion And Waste”, Lecture by Liz Ricketts, hosted by The Slow Factory (2021).
As of 2019, the average American bought 68 new items yearly. Half are worn 3 times or less.	“The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion: Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”, Netflix (2019).
In the 1980s, the average American bought 12 new items of clothing each year.	“The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion: Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”, Netflix (2019).
We keep what we buy for half as long, compared to 20 years ago.	“The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion: Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”, Netflix (2019).
“[in the UK] 523,000 tonnes of used clothing items were collected in 2008 by the secondary textile industry. This figure is equivalent to 23% of the 2,266,000 tonnes of new textiles that were consumed during the same year.”	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
Over half a billion pairs of jeans are sold each year. The USA is the largest market.	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
“The global market for jeans is booming, currently estimated to be worth around $60 billion, or an eighth of the total clothing sector.” (2015)	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
“Shopping addiction, also known as compulsive buying disorder, or compulsive shopping, affects about 18 million adults in the United States. It’s described as the compulsion to spend money, regardless of need or financial means.”	Healthline.com via Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).
“US consumers appeared to be the keenest shoppers: On average a US consumer purchased one mid-priced item of clothing per week.”	Common Objective, 2018 via Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).
“If the clothing they [fast fashion companies] produced were of higher quality, then the average person wouldn’t have to buy 60% percent more items of clothing every year, which they will keep for about half as long as people did fifteen years ago, which in turn produces immense volumes of textile waste.”	Greenpeace, “Timeout for Fast Fashion”, 2016. via Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).
“by 2030 global apparel consumption could rise by 63%. From 62 million tons today to 102 million tons—equivalent to more than 500 billion additional T-shirts.”	Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).
“[The] soaring demand for apparel…will see the annual retail value …reach at least €2 trillion by 2030. An over 30% increase of €500 billion between now and then.”	Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).

Showing 1 to 13 of 13 entries

EMPLOYMENT

FACT	Source
“[In] Kenya… second-hand retailing accounted for 8% of the total number of small and medium-sized enterprises, and employed only 103,961 workers in 2001. Even if each person supported five dependants or indirect beneficiaries, this would give a total of approximately 500,000 people.”	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
In Uganda, 84% of the working population is self-employed in informal institutions.	Uganda Bureau of Statistics, 2007. via Claire Walsh, “Mivumba in Kampala” (2008).
400,000 people entered the job market for 9,000 jobs [in Uganda, 2016].	Anna Patton, “Uganda is a Land of Entrepreneurs” The Guardian, (2016).
Owino [Market, Kampala] employs approx. 6,000 vendors in second hand clothing, and 50,000 in total.	Market Vendors Association and UMOT Uganda Ltd. Official, 2008. via Claire Walsh, “Mivumba in Kampala” (2008).
“The Cotton and Apparel Sector alone has the potential to employ 2.5 million people [in Uganda]”	Eronie Kamukama, “What a Ban on Secondhand Clothes means for business” The Monitor (Uganda), 2017
“Increasing the (retail) price of a garment in the shop by 1% could be enough to pay the workers who made it a living wage.	Deloitte Access Economics Report, Australia, (2017) via Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).
“A charge of one penny per garment on producers could raise £35 million for investment in better clothing collection and sorting in the UK. This could create new green jobs in the sorting sector, particularly in areas where textile recycling is already a specialist industry.”	Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).
The current minimum wage per month for garment workers is: US$82 (68 Euros/£59) in Sri Lanka US$103 (85 Euros/£74) in Bangladesh US$132 (109 Euros/£95) in India US$200 (165 Euros/£144) in Cambodia US$201 (166 Euros/£145) in Indonesia	Marieke Eyskoot, “This Is a Good Guide for a Sustainable Lifestyle” (2018) via Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).

Showing 1 to 8 of 8 entries

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

FACT	SOURCE
87% of clothing ends up incinerated or in landfills.	“Fashion and Waste”, Lecture by Liz Ricketts, hosted by The Slow Factory (2021).
“10% of global carbon emissions are from the textile industry.	Dana Thomas, “Fashionopolis” (2019) via Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).
As of 2015, textile production causes more greenhouse gasses than emissions from all international flights and maritime shipping combined.	“The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion: Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”, Netflix (2019).
Doubling the number of times a garment is worn could lower fashion greenhouse gas emissions by 44%.	Ellen Macarthur Foundation.
Wearing your clothes for 9 months longer than the average can reduce the carbon footprint for that garment by 30%.	“The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion: Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”, Netflix (2019).
After food, cotton is the world’s most farmed plant.	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
“Cotton growing covers around 2.4% of global agricultural land, yet accounts for 24% of insecticides and 11% of pesticides.”	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
“At its current rate, the fashion industry is projected to use 35% more land to grow fibers by 2030. That’s an extra 115 million hectares of land that could otherwise be used to grow food, or left to protect biodiversity.”	Lauren Bravo “How to Break Up with Fast Fashion” (2020) via Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).
98 million tons of “non-renewable resources were used for the textile and garment industry.” “Including oil to produce synthetic fibers, fertilizers to grow cotton, and chemicals to produce, dye, and finish fibers and textiles.”	Ellen MacArthur Foundation, “A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion’s Future”,(2017) via Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).
The cotton used to make a single denim jacket can equal drinking water for a person for 24 years. 10,330 liters of water.	“The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion: Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”, Netflix (2019).
Synthetic fibers use approximately 342 million barrels of oil annually as of 2017.	“The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion: Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”, Netflix (2019).
33% of viscose in clothes comes from ancient or threatened forests.	“The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion: Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”, Netflix (2019).
70% of harvested wood pulp from ancient forests for clothing production is dumped or incinerated. 30% of it is used for garment making.	“The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion: Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”, Netflix (2019).
Less than 1% of material used to make clothing is recycled into new garments.	“Fashion and Waste”, Lecture by Liz Ricketts, hosted by The Slow Factory (2021).

CLOTHING TRADE

FACT	SOURCE
After valuable primary products such as coffee or hardwood timber from Africa have been exported to the Global North, used clothing is exported back to Africa in those same return vessels and containers.	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
“In 2013, [the UK] exported $612 million (or 350,000 tonnes) of used clothing. The top five destinations were Poland, Ghana, Pakistan, Ukraine and Benin.”	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
Ghana is the second largest importer of used clothing.	“Fashion and Waste”, Lecture by Liz Ricketts, hosted by The Slow Factory (2021).
“The OR’s research finds that roughly 25% of shipping containers received in Kantamanto [Ghana] are t-shirts that were given away for free, which is more than any other clothing item received.”	Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).
Examples on where different secondhand clothing donations grades are exported to from the UK: A-grade: Poland B-grade: Africa C-grade: Iran , Iraq, Syria	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
[Global North] charities can only sell 10 – 20% of the donated clothes locally.	“Fashion and Waste”, Lecture by Liz Ricketts, hosted by The Slow Factory (2021).
“Wastesaver plant receives 200 tonnes of unsold goods from Oxfam shops per week, which accounts for 74% of all the charity’s donation.”	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
“In some cases as little as 5 % is paid to a charity who is working with a commercial company.”	British Heart Foundation via Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
“Oxfam is the second largest collector, and retails used clothes through 700 charity shops.”	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
“In the United States, the world’s largest used clothes exporter, items are collected by small, often family-owned, firms. In all there are nearly 3,000 such businesses, in what is a very competitive industry. Clothes worth $687 million (or 780,000 tonnes) are exported.”	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
“An estimated 8,000 tonnes of used clothing, worth more than $40,000,000 [$40 million], are imported each year from the USA via Chile.”	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
The USA exported $147 million worth of clothing to the East African Community in 2016.	“The Impact of Secondhand Clothes and Shoes in East Africa”, Cuts International, (2017).
The USA is the largest exporter of used clothing.	“Fashion and Waste”, Lecture by Liz Ricketts, hosted by The Slow Factory (2021).
“3.9 million tonnes of old clothes were recorded as being exported globally in 2013, which is equivalent to 7.5 billion pairs of jeans or 31.8 billion t-shirts. This total does not include domestically traded second-hand clothing,”	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
70% of used clothes end up in Africa [as of 2016].	“The Impact of Secondhand Clothes and Shoes in East Africa”, Cuts International, (2017).
Uganda imported $137 million worth of used clothing in 2016. In the same year cotton exports were $24 million.	“Used Clothes Imports Grow fivefold”, The Monitor (2019)
Chinese imports of new and used clothing to Uganda is growing by 47% annually on average.	“The Impact of Secondhand Clothes and Shoes in East Africa”, Cuts International, (2017).
Uganda provides second hand clothing for Burundi.	“The Impact of Secondhand Clothes and Shoes in East Africa”, Cuts International, (2017).
In 2016, Uganda was the 10th largest consumer of second hand clothes in the world.	“The Impact of Secondhand Clothes and Shoes in East Africa”, Cuts International, (2017).
“UN data shows that $55.3 million worth of used clothing was exported to Mozambique in 2012. Equal to 52 million tonnes of garments, or the equivalent of 99 million pairs of jeans or 423 million t-shirts. This is likely to be an underestimate of the total size of the market”	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).

FAST FASHION

FACT	SOURCE
Zara has a production line that can be as short as two weeks from design to retail.	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
Zara’s parent company, Inditex, is the biggest clothing company globally.	“The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion: Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”, Netflix (2019).
Their CEO of Inditex, Amancio Ortega Gaona, is the 7th richest person in the world as of 2019. Worth nearly 70 billion dollars.	“The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion: Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”, Netflix (2019).
Inditex has 7,490 stores. That equals roughly one new store a day since 2005.	“The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion: Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”, Netflix (2019).
In 2018, Inditex made 1,597,260,495 garments (1.5 billion).	“The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion: Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”, Netflix (2019).
Ortega. founder of Zara, opened his first clothing store, Zorba, in 1975 in Spain.	“The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion: Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”, Netflix (2019).
Zara makes approximately 20,000 new designs per year.	“Fashion and Waste”, Lecture by Liz Ricketts, hosted by The Slow Factory (2021).
“The twelfth richest [person globally] is Stefan Persson, chairman of H&M, with $28 billion. These individuals all have personal wealth which far exceeds the annual GDP of entire countries, such as Mozambique ($14.2 billion) and Zambia ($20.7 billion).”	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
In 2018, H&M was responsible for 4.3 billion dollars worth of unsold items.	“Fashion and Waste”, Lecture by Liz Ricketts, hosted by The Slow Factory (2021).
“One in three young women, the biggest segment of consumers [in the UK], consider garments worn once or twice to be old.”	Lucy Siegle, (2019) via Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).
As of 2015, there are now 52 seasons every year in fast fashion, instead of the previous 2 season industry average.	“The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion: Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”, Netflix (2019).
The global handbag market is expected to reach US$67.85 billion by 2025.	Grand View Research via Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).
The fashion industry produces 100 billion to 150 billion garments per year. Brands are selling only 80 billion per year.	“Fashion and Waste”, Lecture by Liz Ricketts, hosted by The Slow Factory (2021).
Traditional fashion houses (like Gucci) would have a production line of roughly 21 months for a single collection. Zara innovated the production techniques that would reduce this to 4 months or less.	“The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion: Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”, Netflix (2019).
Greenwashing is “a form of marketing spin in which…green marketing is deceptively used to persuade the public that an organization’s products, aims and policies are environmentally friendly.”	Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).
The global apparel market is valued at three trillion dollars… and accounts for 2% of the world’s gross domestic product’	Fashion United via Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).

UGANDA

FACT	SOURCE
One container of used clothing is charged between 25 and 27 million UGX (6,500$-7,000$) of taxes.	Claire Walsh, “Mivumba in Kampala” (2008).
[Importers are] charged 45% or 0.30 US dollars/kg for imported clothing.	Claire Walsh, “Mivumba in Kampala” (2008).

WASTE

FACT	SOURCE
“In the UK an estimated £1 billion ($1.7 billion) of clothing goes to landfill each year.”	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
In 2012, one Salvation Army in New York created 18 tons of unwanted clothing every 3 days.	“The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion: Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”, Netflix (2019).
One truck of textiles is landfilled or incinerated every second.	Ellen Macarthur Foundation via “The History of Resale Markets”, Lecture by Liz Ricketts, hosted by The Slow Factory (2021).
40% of the clothing in Kantamanto ends up as waste – usually within a week of landing at the port.	“Fashion and Waste”, Lecture by Liz Ricketts, hosted by The Slow Factory (2021).
“UK consumers sent 300,000 tons of textiles to be burned or dumped in landfill in 2018.”	Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).
“Annie Leonard, executive director of Greenpeace, has this to say on The Story of Stuff: ‘Guess what percentage of total material flow through this system is still in product or use six months after [its] sale in North America. 50%? 20%? No. 1%. One! In other words, 99% of the stuff we harvest, mine, process, transport—99% of the stuff we run through this system is trashed within six months.’”	Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).
“In the US, Remake stated that ‘The US alone sends 21 billion pounds of textile waste to landfills every year.’”	Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).
“Fashion Revolution’s 2020 Fashion Transparency Index suggests that around one quarter of the industry’s resources are wasted as leftovers.”	Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).
[Fashion Revolution] found that only 27% of brands publish information about the steps they are taking to reduce this waste.	Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).

RESALE

FACT	SOURCE
“Used-clothing items are on average 35–40% of the cost of new clothes sold in Maputo.”	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
Thread Up recirculated 100 million items in total from 2009 to 2020.	Thread Up 2020 report via “Fashion and Waste”, Lecture by Liz Ricketts, hosted by The Slow Factory (2021).
Kantamanto Market recirculates 100 million items of clothing every 4 months.	“Fashion and Waste”, Lecture by Liz Ricketts, hosted by The Slow Factory (2021).
15 million garments enter Kantamanto per week.	“Fashion and Waste”, Lecture by Liz Ricketts, hosted by The Slow Factory (2021).
“Different categories vary dramatically in value… High-end vintage fashions [are] valued as high as £20,000 ($33,000) or even £30,000 ($50,000) a tonne.”	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).
“Less than 20% of the retailers in Kantamanto [market] make an actual net profit on the average bale, and retailers of female clothes are even less likely to make a profit.”	Liz Ricketts, The OR Foundation via Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).
In Kantomanto Market, “Many retailers have to take on debt to set up their shop, which costs around two Ghanaian cedis per month (34 cents), and often those loans come with an incredibly high interest rate of more than 30 percent.”	Aja Barber, “Consumed” (2021).
300,000 people visit Owino Market daily in Kampala.	Owino Market Chairman via Claire Walsh, “Mivumba in Kampala”
Secondhand clothes “have been around in much of Africa since the early colonial period” – it was a minor trade and was thought of as degrading by the majority of Ugandans.	Karen Tranberg Hansen, “Helping or Hindering” (2004) via Claire Walsh, “Mivumba in Kampala” (2008).
Kayayei are young women, from 9 years old to early 20s who carry bales through Kantamanto Market, usually on their head. Kayayei carry 120 – 200 lb bales for up to a mile and are paid 0.30 - $1 per trip.	“Fashion and Waste”, Lecture by Liz Ricketts, hosted by The Slow Factory (2021).
The biggest secondhand clothing market in Uganda is Owino.	“The Impact of Secondhand Clothes and Shoes in East Africa”, Cuts International, (2017).
Second hand underwear has been banned in Uganda, [but is still consumed].	“The Impact of Secondhand Clothes and Shoes in East Africa”, Cuts International, (2017).
81% of all clothing purchases in Uganda are secondhand.	“The Impact of Secondhand Clothes and Shoes in East Africa”, Cuts International, (2017).
“523,000 tonnes of used clothing items were collected in 2008 by the secondary textile industry. This reuse figure is equivalent to 23% of the 2,266,000 tonnes of new textiles that were consumed during the same year.”	Andrew Brooks, “Clothing Poverty” (2015).

TEXTILE PRODUCTION

FACT	SOURCE
Textile production in East Africa operates at 40 - 50% of its total potential capacity.	“The Impact of Secondhand Clothes and Shoes in East Africa”, Cuts International, (2017).
Rwanda is the only country in the East African Community which implemented restrictions on second hand clothing. They are also the only country in the EAC which doesn’t grow cotton.	“The Impact of Secondhand Clothes and Shoes in East Africa”, Cuts International, (2017).
Cotton has been grown as a cash crop in Uganda since 1904.	“Borup didn’t bring cotton to Uganda” The Monitor, 2021
Cotton is Uganda's 3rd largest export after tea and coffee.	Cotton Development Organisation, Uganda
Cotton provides primary income for 250,000 households in Uganda.	Cotton Development Organisation, Uganda
5% of cotton in Uganda is consumed locally.	Cotton Development Organisation, Uganda
Uganda was Sub-saharan Africa’s largest cotton producer in the mid 1930s and mid 1960s.	Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, “Analysis of price incentives for cotton in UG 2005 - 2013” (2014)
Uganda’s highest year of cotton production was 1969/70 with 470,000 bales of cotton lint.	Cotton Development Organisation, Uganda
In 1987/88 Uganda produced 11,000 bales of cotton lint.	Cotton Development Organisation, Uganda
In 2004/5 Uganda produced 250,000 bales of cotton lint.	Cotton Development Organisation, Uganda
Between 2005 and 2013, 69% - 80% of lint produced in Uganda was exported.	Cotton Development Organisation, Uganda
Between 2003 and 2015 Uganda exported cotton to: Singapore (55%) Switzerland (23%) UK (17%) China, Kenya and Tanzania are also minor importers of Ugandan cotton.	Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, “Analysis of price incentives for cotton in UG 2005 - 2013” (2014)

SOURCE LIST

Books

Andrew Brooks. “Clothing Poverty”
Aja Barber. “Consumed”

Lectures

HRM: https://slowfactory.earth/courses/history-of-resale-markets/

LSF: https://slowfactory.earth/courses/fashion-and-waste/

Comedy/Talkshow

PA: (The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion | Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj | Netflix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGF3ObOBbac

News Media:

THE GUARDIAN

DAILY MONITOR

Other

AGOA WEBSITE

ESTHER’S REPORT:

https://www.tralac.org/images/docs/12012/the-impact-of-second-hand-clothes-and-shoes-in-east-africa-cuts-international-research-study-february-2017.pdf

Technical Notes

https://www.fao.org/in-action/mafap/resources/detail/en/c/396784/

RESOURCE LIST

BOOKS

‘Clothing Poverty: The Hidden World of Fast Fashion’ by Andrew Brooks heavily guided our early research process. It gave us a global and historical view on textiles, capitalism and colonialism.

‘CONSUMED: The Need for Collective Change: Colonialism, Climate Change, and Consumerism’ by Aja Barber was is a rare treat that puts the power gently back into the hands of consumer. She links the personal to the macro through her personal accounts spanning 20 years, painting an intimate picture of the big world of fast fashion. She was also a joy to speak to in our episode ‘More is More’.

‘The World Is Burning But We’re Still Buying Shoes’ by Alec Leach is a quick, crisp introductory read for newcomers to the topic. The perfect weekend read.

LEARNING INSTITUTIONS

THE SLOW FACTORY is a wealth of resources from which we are constantly learning. And we are proud for having participated in this panel discussion, with THE OR FOUNDATION. Their OPEN EDU courses are a constant and free resource providing new perspectives on textiles, waste and modern thinking on colonialism.

FASHION REVOLUTION is the world’s largest fashion activism platform, has been researching global textiles trends, and advocating for equality along the supply chain since 2013. Their yearly reports and track trends and they have satellite events all over the world. Find them in your city. We are also proud to have participated in one of their panel discussions in 2021.

The ELLEN MACARTHUR FOUNDATION is an established institution that has conducted extensive research on circularity, to support the transition towards it. Their findings have been made accessible to policy makers, business owners, activists, academia and ‘everyday’ consumers through training programs, resources for policy makers, business tools and other educational resources for global, scalable solutions.

OTHER PODCASTS

Podcasts that have enriched our conversations, thoughts and understanding of consumption in the global north include Elizabeth Joy’s CONSCIOUS STYLE LIFE & STYLE (which also has an online publication) and and Emily Stochl’s PRE-LOVED podcast. And of course, we always look forward to the on-going instagram lives from Sammy Oteng and Chloe Asaam’s ‘We Just Kant’ hosted by @theorispresent / THE OR FOUNDATION on Instagram live.

MEDIA PUBLICATIONS

A special thank you to the journalists of the Monitor who have been documenting textile industry developments in Uganda, from whom we have learnt a lot.