Kenya's second-hand clothing industry is thriving

According to Star on July 10th, a new study refutes the claim that Kenya is a dumping ground for second-hand clothing in Europe. The study conducted by IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute shows that the Mitumba market in Kenya has both economic and environmental benefits. This study indicates that these second-hand clothes are classified, graded, and transported based on quality and demand, rather than being casually discarded as garbage. Kenya's import tariffs are quite high, accounting for about 40% of the value of goods, which makes the cost of importing unusable clothing expensive, and no evidence of dumping has been found in the study. In fact, clothing undergoes a detailed classification of over 400 categories before being exported. The report states that only clean and wearable clothes will be shipped to Kenya. Amanda Matwal, a textile expert and co-author of the study, said, "This is an efficient circular economy that creates value at every stage." The report shows that Kenya's Mitumba industry provides over 2 million job opportunities, many of which are occupied by women and youth. The study also emphasized Kenya's potential to become a regional center for the classification and re export of used clothing.