The French National Assembly has moved to push for a ban on the export of second-hand clothes, popularly known as mitumba, among European Union states.
If approved, the European states would abstain from exporting second-hand clothes to Africa and Asia. Kenya would face significant losses as the country imports an average of 185,000 tonnes of mitumba clothes annually.
According to the French environment ministry, the discussion on whether to impose the ban will be deliberated at a meeting of EU environment ministers on March 25, 2024.
The Ministry stated that it had already garnered support from Sweden and Denmark.
"Africa must no longer be the dustbin of fast fashion," the Ministry stated.
On Thursday, March 14, France approved a new law to gradually impose fines of up to Ksh1,465 (10 euros) per item of mitumba clothes sold on the market. Further, the assembly imposed a ban on advertising for the said products.
According to the French, the new move aims to mitigate environmental pollution in African countries, where items that are not resold end up in garbage dumps.
This was reflected in the 2023 European Environment Agency report which showed that Europe exports over 90 per cent of used clothing in Africa and Asia.
Through the new law, France seeks to combat the trade, noting that it hampers the growth of local textile industries in the country.
On the other hand, the mitumba industry is a dominant market that offers livelihoods to thousands of traders in Kenya.
Locally, the topic has also been controversial, with divergent views over the government's measures to revive the local industry.
In August last year, the government proposed to impose a 25 per cent duty on imported garments, to reverse the trend and encourage Kenyans to purchase locally-made clothes.
