Waste Colonialism: The Stream of Fashion Waste and Second-hand Clothing from the Global North to Global South

This paper examines the relationship between Global North and South countries in the international trade of textile waste and second-hand clothing. The fashion industry creates an excess amount of waste during production but also perpetuates a "waste culture" in consumers where clothing is seen as more disposable. This occurs from the continued popularization of fast fashion which is a business model that mass produces clothing as quickly and cheaply as possible. For countries in the Global North, clothing that has been disposed of or given away can still be commodified, and environmental burdens can be shifted elsewhere. This process happens through the exportation of textile waste and second-hand clothing to countries in the Global South. This practice ultimately has exceptionally negative effects on the environment and undermines local textile industries. I will argue that this phenomenon represents "waste colonialism" because countries that historically have been colonized are converted into landfills for countries that have been the colonizers. Solutions can be implemented in both pre-consumer and post-consumer phases. These solutions will call for the greater accountability of the fast fashion industry, the decolonization of global waste trades, and ultimately a more sustainable and equitable way to dispose of textile waste and extend the life cycle of clothing.