Industry concerns are mounting that the cross-border movement control adjustments under discussion at the Basel Convention could deal a blow to the global used clothing trade and textile circularity system, at a time when national regulations are tightening and recycled material volumes are rising.

  • The Basel Convention is considering whether to apply the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure to textile waste, requiring exporting countries to notify and obtain consent from importing countries, with a decision expected at the April 2027 meeting.
  • Global used clothing trade volume in 2024 was approximately 10.1 billion pounds, while domestic markets in Europe and the US can only absorb 20%–30% of collected garments.
  • Research shows that only 1.3%–1.5% of imported used clothing in Tanzania is completely unsellable, and the used clothing industry in Ghana and Kenya each supports approximately 2 million jobs.

At a webinar jointly hosted by the US-based Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART) and Resource Recycling's "Textile Recycling Summit," multiple guests from the textile recycling field pointed out that the cross-border management adjustments being advanced under the Basel Convention framework could shake the existing textile circular business model. Jessica Franken, SMART's Vice President of Government and External Affairs, said that while all parties are strengthening the circular system, they face the risk of this system being "reshaped or even destabilized."

The Basel Convention is an environmental treaty adopted in 1989 to regulate the international transport of hazardous waste, with 191 parties currently, though the US is not among them. However, Franken emphasized that because most US trading partners are parties, the convention is "extremely important" to the US. Textiles are currently listed in Annex IX of the convention as non-hazardous waste not subject to convention controls; the convention is studying whether to move textiles to a tier requiring Prior Informed Consent (PIC). Once PIC applies, exporting countries must notify and obtain consent from importing countries and even transit countries before shipment, bringing with it more documentation and tracking requirements. Franken stated bluntly that PIC controls would make cross-border transport slow and administratively burdensome, and could even bring trade to a standstill. Convention parties will meet in April 2027, when a decision on how to handle textile waste may be announced, including bans or de facto import bans, with major implications for the high-volume, low-value used clothing industry.

The backdrop driving this agenda is the fashion industry's ever-expanding resource footprint. Franken noted that textile and apparel production consumes large amounts of raw materials, water, energy, and various potentially harmful chemicals, with fast fashion, overproduction, and shortened product lifespans creating global material surplus. Alan Wheeler, CEO of the UK Textile Recycling Association, presented the reality that approximately 85%–90% of clothing never gets a second life, at least not through the recycling system. Meanwhile, from the EU to California, rules such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), ecodesign, and digital passports are being introduced, meaning more clothing will be collected in the future—the key question is where it goes afterward.

Franken pointed out that domestic markets in Europe and the US typically can only absorb 20%–30% of collected clothing, making access to international markets with demand and need crucial. Wheeler also argued that if these markets disappear, materials will not automatically become recyclable in Europe.

Jennifer Wang, founder of Full Cycle Resource Consulting, explained that large volumes of donated clothing therefore flow to Latin America, Africa, and Asia, with global used clothing trade volume reaching 10.1 billion pounds in 2024, and sorting hubs like Guatemala and Pakistan conducting further re-sorting—any change to the Basel Convention could disrupt this sorting model. Franken added that low-grade textiles that can no longer be used are often converted into industrial wiping cloths, fiber insulation, and other recycled products, with only a very small proportion truly becoming waste. Wang's latest research shows that of textile materials sold in Tanzania, only 1.3%–1.5% are completely unsellable and can be considered waste, with another 3.4%–3.5% sold as wiping cloths, and the rest being re-wearable clothing of various grades; similar results were found in Uganda.

Marvin Owusu, Executive Committee member of the Ghana Used Clothing Dealers Association, emphasized that the used clothing trade creates critical jobs and income, supporting 2 million people in Ghana, most of them women; Ghana is not the endpoint for discarded clothing but part of a regional reuse and redistribution system, providing millions of people with affordable, quality used clothing. Theresia Wairimu, Chairperson of the Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya (MCAK), also stated that the second-hand clothing trade supports 2 million jobs in Kenya, with 7.58 jobs in the supply chain per ton of material imported, and said that without mitumba, some people would have nothing to wear.

Facing the upcoming convention decision, Owusu argued that the evidence does not support the claim that imported second-hand clothing is mainly waste, and that rather than pursuing the PIC route, the existing used clothing circular system should be strengthened. Wairimu called for decisions to be based on evidence and data, consistent with the realities of the used clothing value chain, with more attention to end-market countries and regulatory focus on upstream production, product design, and consumption patterns. Franken concluded that because textile-to-textile recycling has not yet reached sufficient scale, the free cross-border movement of these goods remains indispensable for maintaining the circular economy.

Source: Basel Convention could 'destabilize textile circularity,' panelists warn · Originally published 2026-09-30