Opinion: Why thrift markets are essential to textile circularity

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Popular across Africa for providing affordable clothing and supporting livelihoods, second-hand clothing markets remain contested over concerns about low-quality imports and the resulting waste burden.  However, Sidikat Folami of Mateen Lander argues that these markets help keep textiles in circulation by extending garment lifecycles and connecting unwanted clothing with new demand. 

• “They are not merely informal retail spaces sitting at the edge of the fashion industry. They are part of the infrastructure that enables textiles to remain economically and socially useful beyond their first ownership,” she says of the second hand markets.

• Ms Folami is the founder and CEO of Mateen Lander, a Nigeria-based textile waste solutions company. A textile waste and systems management specialist, she also runs The Textile Circularist, a LinkedIn community that shares insights on textile circularity, waste management and value preservation. 

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