A NEW report from Greenpeace Africa and Greenpeace Germany has laid bare the environmental and public health damage caused by the massive influx of second-hand clothing to Ghana, primarily originating from the Global North. The report, titled Fast Fashion, Slow Poison: The Toxic Textile Crisis in Ghana, uncovers the toxic effects of fast fashion waste on local communities, ecosystems, and natural resources.
The report highlights that around 15 million pieces of second-hand clothing arrive in Ghana each week. Shockingly, nearly half of these items are deemed unsellable and end up in informal dumpsites or burned in public washhouses, causing serious environmental degradation. The unchecked burning of discarded clothing has contaminated air, water, and soil, exposing local residents to hazardous substances.
President of Greenpeace Africa, Hellen Dena, stressed that this issue is not just an environmental disaster but also a grave example of environmental injustice. She pointed out that much of this waste comes from wealthier countries, who profit from overproduction while countries like Ghana are left to suffer the consequences of the resulting waste. Dena called on fashion brands and governments to take immediate responsibility for the damage their products and practices are causing to the environment in the Global South.
The report’s findings also reveal the alarming extent of air pollution in some of Ghana’s most vulnerable communities. In Accra’s Old Fadama settlement, air quality tests found dangerously high levels of toxic chemicals such as benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are known carcinogens. Additionally, infrared testing of discarded clothes showed that almost 90 percent were made from synthetic fibres like polyester, contributing to the spread of microplastics in the environment.
As the textile waste builds up, Ghana’s natural landscapes are being overwhelmed. Rivers are increasingly polluted, and ‘plastic beaches’ are forming along the coastline, smothering local habitats and disrupting ecosystems. According to Sam Quashie-Idun, the report’s author, the fast fashion industry has created a public health crisis in Ghana, with its waste endangering the lives of local communities.
‘The evidence we have collected shows that the fast fashion industry is not just a fashion issue—it’s a public health crisis. The clothes we tested are literally poisoning the people of Accra,’ said Quashie-Idun. He also pointed to the broader global inequality in this trade, describing it as a neocolonial system where the Global North benefits from overproduction, leaving countries like Ghana to bear the brunt of the consequences.
Greenpeace Africa has called for urgent measures to tackle the crisis. The organisation demands a ban on the import of unsellable textile waste and insists that the Ghanaian government should enforce legislation that ensures only reusable, wearable clothing enters the country. They also advocate for fashion brands to be held accountable for their products’ entire lifecycle through a global Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system, which would enforce sustainable waste management and recycling.
In addition to these demands, Quashie-Idun urged the international community to support the development of a sustainable local textile industry in Ghana. This, he argued, could help alleviate the waste problem while providing much-needed economic opportunities for the country. Greenpeace is pressing for global collaboration, urging the Global North to listen to the voices of those affected in Ghana and work together to create fair and sustainable solutions to the fast fashion crisis.
Credit: Africabriefing
