Teresia Wairimu Njenga, Chair, Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya, has opposed a proposal seeking restrictions on export of used clothing from EU.
The proposal was put forth by several representatives from France, Denmark, and Sweden, citing concerns over environmental pollution and the need to promote textile recycling within the EU.
The proposal aims to apply the Basel Convention, banning exports of hazardous textile waste and requiring prior consent for importing textile waste.
Njenga argues that imports of used clothes support livelihoods and contribute to tax revenues in Kenya. She denies claims that the imports contain significant amounts of unusable items that end up in landfills, asserting that imported clothes are of good quality.
Kenya, along with other African countries such as Ghana, Senegal, and South Africa, heavily relies on imports of used clothing. According to UN trade data, Kenya imported 177,386 tons of used clothing in 2022, marking a significant increase from previous years.
Research commissioned by the Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya indicates that only 1 per cent-2 per cent of each imported bale of used clothes ends up as waste. Njenga has been actively lobbying against the proposal, meeting officials from various EU countries and planning further discussions with officials from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Trade and the Directorate-General for the Environment.
