Chinese retailer Shein is hoping to balance the export of its secondhand clothing to Ghana by throwing money at the waste that clothing generates.
During a global fashion summit in Copenhagen last week, Shein announced plans to donate $15 million over three years to The Or Foundation, a nonprofit that studies fast fashion waste in Ghana. The foundation described the donation as “groundbreaking,” and director Liz Ricketts lamented the “backbreaking” requirements of today’s Ghanian fashion-waste workers. “We have been calling on brands to pay the bill that is due to the communities who have been managing their waste,” Ricketts said. “This is a significant step towards accountability.”
It is a step, but how significant is up for debate. Shein’s pledge fails to do one important thing: Stop secondhand Shein products from adding to the problem.
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