The sustainability movement has taken off worldwide, andthe African continent is struggling to keep pace.

There are over a billion people living on the continent ofAfrica, and not nearly enough accessible, sustainable fashion options to meetdemand. This post will explore the reasons for the stunted growth of thesustainability movement in Africa, and why eco-friendly brands should shifttheir focus to the growing African population.

The Current State ofSustainable Fashion

At the moment, Africa’s most abundant source for clothingis China, and those garments tend to be cheaply produced and lower in quality.Though there are many large, thriving cities on the continent, there are also alot of impoverished areas. The population with fewer resources has created ademand for low-cost clothing, and China has delivered with less-expensive… lessdurable items.

That isn’t to say that sustainable fashion brands arenonexistent in Africa. There are definitely some brands that have infiltratedAfrica’s fashion market in various urban areas of the continent. But theproblem with these items begins with their scarcity and ends with the highercost. The perceived lower-demand for sustainable items has lead to both lowermarket penetration, and unfortunately high prices. But this isn’t going to bethe end of the story.

Sustainability Foundin Second-Hand Clothing

The statistics surrounding Africa’s second-hand clothingmarket, however, are staggering. An estimated 80% of all people in Africa wearsecond-hand clothes according to an article from the African Exponent. This isespecially true in Ghana, Benin, and Kenya. These three countries receive abounty of used clothing from all over the world. This is clothing that wouldhave otherwise ended up in landfills in the United States (mostly), or othermore economically affluent countries. Because these clothes are, instead,repurposed, it’s by definition an eco-friendly option.

But with all of the second-hand clothing entering thecountry, local clothing industries have suffered. Those looking for low-costclothing can’t do any better than the secondhand imports. But that means thatlocal brands can’t compete with the fierce competition. The problem is soprevalent, in fact, that some countries are considering banning second-handimports. A chairperson from the Worldwide African Congress reportedly told CNNthat “after 50 years of independence, our country, Uganda, and other Africancountries, should have the ability to produce and manufacture certain things,like clothing, locally.” The idea is still controversial.

The debate stems from the fact that most areas of thecontinent cannot actually produce enough clothing for all of Africa’s residentswithout the affordable, second-hand supplements. Regardless of the presence ofthe (accidentally) sustainable used imports, many think it’s time for Africanmarkets to accept and capitalize on the sustainable fashion industry in a waythey previously haven’t.

The Need forAmped-Up Sustainable Fashion Growth in Africa

There are a lot of challenges facing many countries inAfrica. Because of this, the fashion industry has not historically takencenter-stage when pitted against the need for food, healthcare, and housing.But there is something that many of these issues have in common: the link toclimate change. Climate change has had an impact on every challenge that theAfrican continent has dealt with. And what industry has contributed to climatechange in a BIG way in the past decade?

The fashion industry

The fashion industry contributes an estimated 10% of allthe greenhouse gas emissions on earth. That is a significant number. Theindustry also absorbs an incredible amount of resources, including both waterand energy, though most people are not aware of this high cost. Furthermore,the fashion industry is one of the biggest sources of pollution on the planet.So whether or not policymakers in Africa make the connection, the need forsustainable fashion in Africa definitely exists.

Many sustainable fashion brands are smaller companies withless disposable resources, making marketing in the tougher African fashionscene difficult. The resources simply are not there. But a profitable marketfor ethical fashion definitely exists in Africa, and it will sit, ready to betaken over, until a handful of brave brands step in.

Though there will always be impoverished pockets inAfrica, the growth of the middle and upper classes has been significant. BothSouth Africa and Kenya are ripe for the infiltration of luxury brands. But manyplayers in the sustainable fashion scene are not aware of the rich group ofAfricans ready to invest in ethical fashion.

The issues of education exist both with African buyers andethical brands. Brands need to be shown the exciting possibilities for growthin Africa. Consumers on the African continent need to see the importance oftheir investment in eco-friendly clothing options, and the connection thisinvestment has to the food and health-related difficulties Africa faces.

This article has not beenedited by SBS Zipper staff and is re-published with permission from synzenbe.com

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