Ghana Drowns in 15 Million Pieces of Unsold Clothing Weekly, Greenpeace Report

The Scale of the Crisis Every week, approximately 15 million items of clothing are received in Ghana, but nearly half of these clothes are unsellable.

The result is massive textile waste ending up in informal dumpsites or burned in public washhouses, leading to severe contamination of air, soil, and water resources, putting the health of local communities at risk.

Key Findings from the Greenpeace Report Air Pollution: Air samples from public washhouses in Accra’s Old Fadama settlement show dangerously high levels of toxic substances in indoor air, including carcinogens like benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Plastic Pollution: Infrared testing of discarded clothing revealed that nearly 90% are made of synthetic fibers like polyester, contributing to the spread of microplastics in the environment…