Kenya’s President William Ruto stated on Tuesday that the country will not ban the import of second-hand clothing, known locally as "mitumba". This was more than a domestic reassurance to market traders, it was a clear political signal in a global debate increasingly framed around textile waste, trade justice and industrial development. SHORT SUMMARY Kenya’s decision not to ban second-hand clothing imports challenges dominant narratives that portray reuse as a waste problem o

A one-year extension of AGOA provides temporary relief for U.S. exports of secondhand clothing to African markets, while exposing the fragility of global trade rules underpinning textile reuse.