Post on 22-Nov-2014
description
SECONDHAND CLOTHING TRADE
Justine Fitch
Argument
Should we send used clothes to be given to people in the Third World countries? Or should we help people there to make or buy their own clothes?
Do secondhand goods around the world benefit or hinder countries?
- Developing countries who don’t have established economies- benefits
- Opposition: Countries look towards becoming developed
through focusing on exports rather than imports .- They are relying too much on SHC imports.
Secondhand Clothing Industry
Industrialization Mass Production Halt (domestic production)
Growing business
> 2002 The New York Times reported that of the approximately 2.5 billion pounds of clothes donated to charity in America each year, as much as 80 percent is shipped globally
United States- 1 of the largest exporters Toronto, CA Biggest importers of secondhand clothing: Sub-Saharan
Africa, Central and South America, Asia, and Eastern Europe Different meanings around the world Affordability or Mimic Western Style Some of the largest donators of clothing include: USA,
Germany, Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands
Globalization
“Globalization is the process whereby the world’s people are becoming increasingly interconnected in all facets of their lives—cultural, economic, political, technological, and environmental”
Developed vs. Developing- secondhand clothing due to lower levels of income
Developed- Export SHC
Developing- Import SHC Secondhand clothing trade is
dominated by economics unless there is governmental interference
Secondhand clothing can be found in more than 100 countries across the world
Charitable Organizations
Largest source of SHC United States: Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries,
St. Vincent de Paul, Amvets Europe: Oxfam, Terre, Humana, Abbey Pierre Dispose of their massive stock for a large sum of
money to secondhand dealers Many bins in the United States often appear that
they are for third-world relief, when in reality they feature names of non-existent charities
Salvation Army, Colorado Springs, CO
Norwich, England
Germany
Thrift Stores Other major contributor Warehouse feel Plato’s Closet and Buffalo Exchange-
growing businesses Buffalo Exchange is growing in which
their earnings topped $3 million in 2006 with $43 million in revenue-
They recognize top fashions and receive products from fast fashion mavens Zara and H&M
Plato’s closet- guides for the employees on whether or not they should accept specific clothing based on the style and year of the product (they have to be within the last year)
“Thrill side”- hunt of fashion
Buffalo Exchange (San Francisco, CA
Secondhand clothing process
Garments are passed on through donations to charities, community groups, or commercial collection banks
Sold to textile recycling plants- are sorted, graded, and put into bales
Recyclers look for type, fabric, and quality of the garment when sorting
Clothing can be categorized into more than 400 groups
Poor quality garments may be processed into fibers or used as rags in industrial establishments
Lower quality items are also sent off to Africa and medium-quality is sent to Latin America
Bales of clothing may be received by local traders or local trader’s market stall in which people can buy the clothing right away
Oxfam International
SHC helps countries around the world
Can be thrill-seeking: satisfy specific needs, recreate clothing
The world’s largest destination of secondhand clothing is in Sub-Saharan Africa- 26% of total world exports in 2004
Exports of this trade: Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Japan, India, and Cambodia by receiving close to 20 percent of word’s exports in 2004
Other: Tunisia, Kenya, Uganda, and Guatemala
Developed countries: Japan, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands
16-foot mountain of secondhand clothing- Hong Kong
The meaning of SHC
“Thrill” side consumers throughout the world like to rummage, browse and look for clothing in different places to satisfy their specific needs they cannot find elsewhere
“Quality-and style-savvy consumers recognize the potential that may not be immediately apparent in garments” -Karen Hansen
Recreating the clothing into “something else by means of embellishment, patchwork, buttons, and trim, among many other practices” Hansen
September issue (2011)- Marie Claire -6 of Australia’s top fashion designers visit St Vincent de Paul Society op-shops to recreate garments
-They made 6 one of a kind creations that were auctioned through Marie Claire to raise money for St Vincent de Paul Society.
SHC in Kenya
Clothes and shoppers at the Adams Arcade market, Nairobi
Second hand designer bags: Gucci and Louis Vuitton
“Although the second hand clothes imports have undermined the textile industries in Kenya, they have
provided more affordable choices for
Kenyans and employed many, hence a welcome
trade.”http://www.iq4news.com/lauramkenya/fashion-second-hand-clothing-booming-business-kenya
The meaning of SHC- Zambia Satisfy individual preferences- mediates
between individual and collective desires Worn by any class, not just the poor
wanting to mimic western style Referred to as “Salaula”- both men and
women prefer to reconfigure clothing to mimic western dress
Appreciate the clothing they receive
The meaning of SHC- Haiti Secondhand clothing trade from shoppers in
Boston and Miami deals with a large unregulated market of pepe
Beyond significant for survival- tents or stuffing in upholstery
Hanna Rose Shell and Vanessa Bertozzi documentary- visuals of the streets explicitly show rags of all colors lying on the roads
Far worse problems Enjoy refashioning the garments Miami and Boston in the United States are large
intergenerational markets
Bundles of used clothing being unloaded from large cargo ship in Miragoane, Haiti.
The meaning of SHC- Haiti
Countries are able to purchase far cheaper clothing than they would be able to afford with domestically produced clothing.
Zimbabwe and Kenya: affordability of clothing is more important especially during harsh times
Zimbabwe: SHC should not be the blame of their economic disadvantages as it is often due to political wars and government exploitation
Secondhand clothing may complement domestic production rather than hinder it
Not producing “equivalent competing goods”- garment makers in Zimbabwe, they do not blame SHC and do not view it as competition.
Western style clothing http://www.secondhandfilm.com/project.html
Employment Opportunities
In developing countries the trade is creating more jobs than ever
Trade helps with the global economy creating jobs such as wholesalers, importers, traders, and vendors
Cleaning, repairing, re-styling, and distributing
Rwanda- textile and manufacturing facilities provided no employment to their people until the secondhand clothing trade developed there creating jobs in handling, cleaning, repairing, and restyling
Used shoes for sale in the Nyamirambo market
Recycling and the environment
Keep the textile and apparel industry more environmental friendly
Recycling reduces environmental impact if consumers are properly educated
Consumers can easily buy secondhand clothing which reduces affect on the environment because the life of a garment is extended
Yarn and fibers can be recycled and used for a future product
India doesn’t allow importing of SHC, they do recycle their clothing domestically involving barter, donations and resale
Opposition
Lack of domestic production- hurts developing countries Destruction of local livelihoods
There are several challenges for industries in developing countries
1.) Unreliable and expensive infrastructure Nigeria experiences high fuel prices, a lack of consistency with power and
electric, and a lack of water supply Affect how long producers have with producing garments and other textile
products
2.) The cost and availability of raw materials for textile producers One of the biggest raw materials that causes problems for developing
countries is cotton which requires constant quality development to meet standards
3.) Cost and availability of fabrics for clothing producers Senegal and Ghana struggle with sourcing options
4.) Other challenges include: competition from imports, widespread customs fraud, outdated capital and failure to take advantage of trade preferences
Opposition
Job lossAccording to Oxfam International, it is hard
to determine how many jobs have been lost because there are other factors that may affect this other than secondhand clothing trade alone.
Opposition
Dishonesty Complex process of secondhand
clothing, information regarding products can be misconstrued
Anthropologist Karen Hansen discovered that many people believe their cast-off clothing is just going to charity for a good cause when it is really sold to the poor.
It allows countries to rely on imports rather than improve domestic production- Veseth
Charities not honest, don’t always have best intentions- charities should come clean
Clothing bins that are placed on the street in the United States and Western Europe which claim to belong to charities when they are not
Philippines
Countries who do no import SHC
Philippines- believe it harms their local production but is recently finding imports due to illegal shipment from Hong Kong
Philippines also does not import due to dumping
Haiti also experiences dumping where clothing often covers the ground
India- does not allow imports of SHC but do allow imports of woolen fibers which are used for blankets, knitting yarns and wool fabrics
Other countries do not participate in imports of secondhand clothing due to health reasons.
Tanzania-prohibit the import of used underwear to prevent from diseases
Charity shop tags, trimmings & leftover wool garments from
India
Summary
There may be negative sides to the industry such as lack of domestic production, the positives outweigh this main factor
Many developing countries rely on the trade for a means of clothing since they cannot afford infrastructure to produce their own clothing
The meaning of secondhand clothing differs amongst countries but this is significant when determining who accepts the trade
Some prefer secondhand clothing because they may not be able to afford the latest fashions, while some prefer SHC just for the thrill of finding new fashions that they can recreate
Second-hand clothing is falling as a share of total clothing imports due to the increase of cheap imports from Asia
Sources
http://www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk http://www.maketradefair.com/en/assets/english/shc_0905.pdf Garner, M. & Kunz, G. (2011). Going Global http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1627026,00.html http://www.jstor.org/stable/3694995 Hansen, K. (2001). Salaula: the world of secondhand clothing and Zambia http://www.bergfashionlibrary.com/view/bewdf/BEWDF-v10/EDch10032.xml http://reason.com/archives/2008/07/25/the-afterlife-of-american-clot Rivoli, P. (2005). The travels of a t-shirt in the global economy: An
economist examines the markets, power, and politics of world trade. Veseth, M. (2005). Globaloney: Unraveling the myths of globalization