The Basel process was expected to produce new controls on textile waste exports. Instead, it has exposed uncertainty over what counts as waste, what is actually being traded and whether the original diagnosis was correct.
The OR Foundation helped popularise the claim that up to 40 percent of imported second-hand clothing in Ghana becomes waste. As the narrative gained influence in media and policy circles, the organisation's funding and global profile grew dramatically.
A year-long Reuse News investigation examines the evidence behind textile waste export claims and how those claims are influencing global textile policy, trade and circular systems.
Claims that 40 percent of imported second-hand clothing becomes waste have shaped international debate and policy discussions. But traders, researchers and industry representatives question whether the economics behind the narrative make sense.
A field investigation in Ghana found little evidence of large-scale accumulations of imported textile waste at locations frequently cited in public debate. The findings raise broader questions about how evidence is shaping textile policy, trade regulation and reuse systems.
