Bridging Hemispheres: How Collaborative Efforts Between Global South and Global North Can Reduce Textile Waste

In a world burdened by fast fashion and an ever-growing mountain of textile waste, the global North-South divide presents not just a geographical split but a imbalance in resources, technology, and approaches to environmental challenges. 

Well, it’s pretty much an open secret that landfills have been popping up in some postcards from the Global North, like unwelcome tourists in places like Kenya, Ghana, Pakistan, Chile…you get the picture. But hey, we’re not about pointing fingers or wagging tongues. No, no, we’re here to team up, roll up our sleeves (figuratively, or literally if you’re into that), and dive into the treasure trove of clever, planet-saving ideas that’ll help us kick the waste-dumping habit for good!

The key to advancing sustainable practices in the textile industry does not lie exclusively within the borders of the developed or the developing world, but rather in a joint efforts from both. By creating strategic partnerships and cultivating cross-cultural innovation, the global North and South can join forces to usher in a future of sustainable fashion.

Global Unity for a Sustainable Future:

The extent of the problem of textile waste demands collaborative solutions that go beyond borders. In regions of the global South, less access to technology for recycling and fewer resources for sustainable production create an imbalance. This I learned when I went to visit Africa Collect Textile and had a chat with the Founder. Conversely, the global North, often the source of much of the fast fashion consumption, can provide technological assistance and innovative models for sustainable production and waste management.

Global Partnerships in Action:

There are beacons of hope in the form of partnerships and organizations working across the divide to mitigate textile waste. Resonating with this mission are entities like the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, with its emphasis on a circular economy for fashion and the Global Fashion Agenda, which advocates for industry collaboration on sustainability.

In a remarkable display of international collaboration, we pioneered an initiative with the debut of Eco Fashion Week Africa—a revolutionary event that boldly championed the reduction of new clothing production. This feat was achieved in alliance with the Global Fashion Exchange, which helped in hosting an ingenious clothes swap during the fashion week festivities. Extending this synergy, Fashion Takes Action accepted our invite and played an impactful role by enlightening the next generation of designers at a Kenyan Design School (Delight Technical College) with thought-provoking sessions on conscious fashion choices and the far-reaching consequences of fast fashion.