In 2021, Africa's second-hand clothing imports reached $1.84 billion, with China becoming Africa's largest supplier of second-hand clothing at $624 million in exports. This means that most of the clothes in domestic community donation bins are not sent directly to those in need, but instead enter a transnational commercial chain of "collection—sorting—export—distribution."

Key Points

  • In 2021, China's second-hand clothing exports to Africa totaled $624 million, making it Africa's largest source of second-hand clothing; Africa's total second-hand clothing imports that year were $1.84 billion.
  • The East African Community simultaneously raised tariffs on second-hand clothing in 2016 and planned a full import ban by 2019; Kenya withdrew from the joint statement in 2017 due to U.S. pressure.
  • Kenya and other places plan to ban second-hand clothing imports by 2030; China issued guidelines in 2022 on recycling waste textiles, targeting a 30% recycling rate and 3 million tons of recycled fiber output by 2030.

The Four Stages from Donation Bin to African Street Stall

In China, old clothing collection is mostly done via tricycle pickup and priced by weight—a few mao per jin is enough to haul away a cartload. After arriving at sorting factories, workers divide items into dozens of subcategories by type, condition, and material. Qualified clothing is then split by season: winter wear mainly goes to Southeast Asia, summer wear to Africa. Once in Africa, local agents transport the goods to towns and villages, where they are tagged and sold at street stalls.

In terms of price, second-hand clothing costs about 35% of new clothing. Take short-sleeve shirts as an example: a brand-new one sells for $7.5, while a second-hand one sells for only $2.8. For most Chinese consumers, two or three dollars is negligible, but many African families must weigh the decision repeatedly before spending that amount. The reality is that in economically underdeveloped African countries, only about 10% of consumers can afford new clothes, about 50% wear second-hand clothing, and the remaining 40% cannot even afford second-hand clothes. So-called "donation" at the end market is still a cash-on-delivery transaction.

An Employment Pillar and the Decline of Local Textile Industries

The mitumba industry (the common term for second-hand clothing in Kenya and elsewhere) has indeed supported a large number of livelihoods. Of Kenya's 54 million people, millions make a living from the second-hand clothing industry, accounting for about one-tenth of the country's labor force. Wholesale, retail, alteration, and refurbishment—every stage creates jobs, and for lower-income families, dealing in second-hand clothes is often their entire source of income.

On the other side is the continued shrinkage of local manufacturing. Nigeria's textile industry held a prominent position in its early industrialization; in the 1970s and 1980s, the country had more than 180 textile factories and about 400,000 workers, but by 2009 fewer than 50 textile enterprises were still operating. Ghana's traditional textile exports also fell by nearly 30% between 1994 and 2011. The influx of cheap second-hand goods squeezed the survival space of local factories.

Why the Ban Is Hard to Push Forward

African countries have not been unaware. In 2016, driven by Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda, the East African Community formally took action on second-hand clothing, with countries simultaneously raising tariffs and planning a full import ban after 2019. However, the United States threatened to withdraw trade preferences on the grounds that this violated free trade principles, and Kenya withdrew from the joint statement in 2017, continuing to allow second-hand clothing imports. The ban was blocked, constrained by both great-power competition and domestic economic structure.

By 2026, the landscape has not fundamentally reversed, but variables are accumulating: Kenya and other countries plan to ban second-hand clothing imports by 2030, forcing companies to transform toward higher value-added operations; in Southeast Asia, Indonesia seized 2,584 smuggling cases and confiscated 12,808 boxes of second-hand clothing between 2024 and August 2025.

China's Policy Shift and the Space for Recycling

Domestic policy is also adjusting. In 2022, the National Development and Reform Commission and two other departments jointly issued implementation guidelines on promoting the recycling of waste textiles, proposing that by 2025 the recycling rate of waste textiles reach 25% and recycled fiber output reach 2 million tons, and by 2030 the recycling rate rise to 30% and recycled fiber output reach 3 million tons. The policy intent is clear: keep more old clothes in China for recycling rather than letting them all flow into exports.

According to estimates, every 1 kilogram of waste textiles utilized can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 3.6 kilograms and save 6,000 liters of water.

Source: What Happens to Old Clothes Donated by Chinese People After They Are Sent to Africa? Would You Still Donate After Reading This? · Originally published on 2026-04-22