By Keit Silale
Africa is facing a mountain challenge—textile waste. In recent years, the continent has become a significant destination for second-hand clothing imports, many of which are unusable, poor-quality garments. According to a report by Clean Up Kenya, over 1 million tonnes of second-hand clothes have been imported into Kenya alone over the past five years. Shockingly, up to 40% of these imports are essentially waste, creating a textile waste crisis. Much of this clothing, often torn, stained, or simply unsuitable for local climates, ends up in landfills or discarded into rivers, posing severe environmental challenges.
However, as the textile waste crisis intensifies, Africa Collect Textiles (ACT) a startup in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, is emerging as a vital solution in the fight against textile environmental degradation. ACT is dedicated to collecting, repurposing, and recycling discarded textiles that would otherwise end up in landfills. “We saw an opportunity to tackle a global problem right here at home by finding a second life for clothes destined to become waste,” says Alex Musembi, ACT co-founder.
Textile dumping has been a growing problem across Africa. Kenya, in particular, is bearing the impact of the international second-hand clothing market. The Gikomba Market, East Africa’s largest second-hand clothes market, has become synonymous with heaps of discarded fabric. According to Business Waste Management, the global fashion industry contributes to over 92 million tonnes of textile waste annually, and a considerable portion finds its way into Africa.
“The reality is that much of the clothing shipped to Africa is not fit for resale,” says Alex Musembi, “Our markets are flooded with items that no one would wear, and we lack the infrastructure to manage the waste that follows.”
In response to this growing environmental disaster, ACT has built a model that aims to tackle the textile waste crisis while creating economic opportunities for Kenyans at the bottom of the pyramid. ACT collects used clothing from their donation bins which have been set up across different strategic places in Nairobi. Once collected, these textiles are sorted into three different classes which are A, B, and C. Class A is what can be reused, and they extend their life cycle by empowering women in rural Kenya who sell clothes and earn a living through it. Class B are the ones a bit torn which are recycled into new products like bags, carpets, cushion covers, shoes, and even art pieces. Class D is badly torn or unsuitable for wearing and is shredded to be fillings for products like toys.
In our process, nothing is wasted,” explains Timothee Bazibuza, a creative designer and tailor at ACT. “From torn denim jeans to old t-shirts, we find a way to make something useful and beautiful out of everything even the small pieces we cut out when designing a product.”
One of the startup’s most innovative and popular products involves creating backpacks from old security personnel uniforms. This addresses the misuse of discarded security uniforms, which often find their way into the wrong hands, allowing individuals to impersonate security personnel. The startup collects these torn and worn-out uniforms, cleans them, irons them, cuts them into pieces, and transforms them into durable, stylish backpacks.
This process not only safeguards the security sector by preventing unauthorized use of uniforms but also breathes new life into discarded materials, promoting sustainability. Each repurposed backpack becomes a symbol of creativity and environmental consciousness, offering a solution that marries safety with circular economy principles. “It’s not just about recycling; it’s about creating value where there was none, and ensuring we are promoting circularity,” Says Alex Musembi.
ACT’s model does more than just reduce waste. Through turning the discarded textiles into new products, the start-up supports economic empowerment, particularly for those at the bottom pyramid groups such as women and youth. They equip local communities with the skills needed for textile upcycling and provide job opportunities in both the collection and repurposing phases, fostering a sense of community ownership in the fight against waste.
“Most of our workers are women and young people,” says Mary Kilonzo, a creative seamstress with ACT. “We are not only cleaning our environment, but we are also earning a living, feeding our families, and learning new skills that protect the environment.”
This Kenyan startup efforts align with the broader global movement toward a circular economy, a concept that promotes keeping resources in use for as long as possible through the recycling and repurposing of products. This model starkly contrasts the fast fashion industry, which has long been criticized for its environmentally damaging practices.
According to the Global Fashion Agenda, the adoption of circular fashion practices could reduce global textile waste by 30% over the next decade. ACT’s work is an example of how this model can be applied locally, with scalable solutions that benefit the environment and society.
“Kenya is becoming part of the solution,” says Julius, the sorting Manager at ACT. “Businesses like ACT are helping us reimagine waste not as a burden but as a resource holding new potential.”
ACT has received support from international partners and government bodies interested in sustainably addressing the textile waste problem. However, more work remains to be done. Textile waste is expected to increase as consumption grows across the continent. This makes it imperative for African countries to adopt both regulatory measures and grassroots solutions like ACT.
“Textile waste is a global problem, but we can be part of the solution,” Musembi says. “Our goal is to expand this model across Kenya and into neighboring countries, showing that Africa can lead in sustainable waste management.”
As the textile waste crisis continues to plague Africa, startups like Africa Collect Textiles are proving that innovative, local solutions can make a significant impact. And as Mary Kilonzo aptly puts it, “We’re not just recycling; we’re reshaping the future of fashion and the environment conservation.”
