France Proposes Ban On Used Clothing Export To Africa & Asia
The French Ministry of the Environment has submitted a proposal to the European Union Parliament to ban export of used clothing.
This step was taken as part of the government’s increasingly urgent efforts to tackle the worsening textile waste problem.
According to United Nations (UN) trade data, the European Union has exported 1.4 million metric tons of used textiles in 2022, an amount that is more than double the volume in 2000.
“The European Environment Agency (EEA) report shows that around 90 percent of used clothing and textile waste from European countries is exported to Africa and Asia,” Reuters reported.
The European Union had earlier expressed concern about the negative impact of used clothing exports, especially on environment in African countries where items that cannot be resold often end up in landfills.
Overall, data from the European Commission shows that Europe produces around 5.2 million tons of clothing and footwear waste every year.
The proposed ban on the export of used clothing has received support from other countries in the European Union, including Sweden and Denmark.
France hopes that this proposal will be discussed at the Environment Council meeting in Brussels on March 25.
“Africa must no longer become a dumping ground for used apparels. We must be responsible in managing our own waste,” an official statement from the French Ministry of the Environment said.
