How our used clothes are causing textile pollution in Kenya

On the markets of Nairobi (Kenya), you can find clothes, especially from France. Clothes that no one wants anymore, but also unsold items and donations. On a stall, we receive a shipment freshly arrived from the United Kingdom. A shopkeeper pays an average of 100 euros per lot and expects to earn double by selling each piece of clothing at retail. Problem: sometimes half of the clothes purchased are good for the trash. “There are plenty of clothes that I will not sell and they will not reimburse me”she says.

Clothes that go to the landfill

These clothes can be found everywhere in the streets of Nairobi or even at the dump. An environmental activist has been investigating textile pollution for several years. Kenya is currently unable to sort clothes. “Those who are not of good qualities destroy our environment”, he confides. So what to do? By 2030, the European Union has committed to reducing its textile waste and producing only sustainable clothing.