The Impact of UK Fast Fashion on Ghanaian Beaches: A Surprising Discovery
My 12-year-old daughter, Evie, often asks me to buy fast fashion for her, usually from Shein. However, as a fashion writer focused on sustainability, I explain to her the problems with buying new fast fashion. Clothes are so cheap that people buy them without restraint, leading to too many poorly made, often plastic clothes in the world. This summer, while visiting friends in Ghana, we discovered the impact of fast fashion on Ghanaian beaches.
Ghana imports 15 million garments every week from the global north, with a significant amount ending up on Ghana’s shores. Secondhand garments head to Kantamanto market, where 40% of what comes in is deemed unsaleable and becomes trash. Unfortunately, Accra lacks the waste infrastructure to handle this, leading to clothing waste being dumped in gutters and unauthorised tips, eventually making its way to the Atlantic Ocean and the shores of Accra.
Greenpeace Africa recently launched a petition calling for the Ghanaian government to regulate textile imports and hold fashion companies accountable for their waste. The Or Foundation, founded by Liz Ricketts and Branson Skinner, is working to tackle Ghana’s clothing waste problem. Their efforts include improving market safety standards, upskilling local workers, recycling textiles, and pressuring fashion brands to take responsibility for their waste.
During a beach cleanup at Jamestown beach, we witnessed the devastating impact of clothing waste on marine life. Textile waste makes it difficult for native turtles to deposit their eggs, and local fishers struggle to make a living due to the abundance of plastics and polyesters in the water. The Or Foundation has collected hundreds of tonnes of textile waste to prevent it from entering the environment and harming marine life.
UK brands like Marks & Spencer, Nike, Adidas, and Primark are among the most common brands found in Ghana’s textile waste. The Or Foundation is urging these brands to take responsibility for the waste they produce and work towards circular fashion practices. While some brands have sustainability initiatives in place, there is still a need for greater accountability and transparency in the fashion industry.
The root issue lies in the overproduction of fast fashion in the global north. Brands must reduce their production capacity to combat the growing textile waste problem. The Or Foundation’s Speak Volumes campaign is calling on top brands to disclose the number of garments they produce each year, but so far, no major brand has complied.
As consumers, we can do our part by refusing single-use garments and embracing secondhand and upcycled clothing. The beach cleanup in Ghana opened my daughter Evie’s eyes to the impact of fast fashion on the environment, making her rethink her purchasing habits. By being conscious consumers and choosing sustainable fashion options, we can all contribute to reducing the negative impact of fast fashion on the environment and communities like those in Ghana.
