Analysis of the current status of textile waste management in Tanzania and suggestions for improvement

Abstract

While the global textile apparel industry is one of the most potent economic actors worldwide and provides a livelihood for over 300 million people across the value chain, its negative environmental and social impacts undisputedly burden Earth's resources and future generations. Moreover, due to its highly globalised character, most of the pressures and impacts related to the consumption of textiles occur in other regions of the world than in which they are consumed by using up natural resources or contributing to increased waste generation (EEA, 2019). Driven by unsustainable production cycles and culture of overconsumption, the textile apparel industry lags in environmental indicators and collides with globally agreed-upon Sustainable Development Goals.Textile apparel material waste and end-of-life textiles have recently come into the policy spotlight by endorsing circular approaches to make the textile apparel sector more sustainable. However, textile waste is still massively under-researched, particularly in low-income countries. Alongside the lack of awareness in this area, there is also a lack of data and targeted legislation and policy.This study has identified pre-and post-consumer textile waste flows in the United Republic of Tanzania based on interviews with experts and small-scale surveys at secondhand markets and complemented by a literature review, legislation, and policy research.The results have shown that reuse and repair options for textile waste best fit in the context of low-income countries. Given the capacity constraints concerning finance, technical and technological backup, the term recycling in the traditional sense must be adapted to the context of low-income countries, taking into account its potential and needs. A reinterpretation could include the term upcycling and thus create new uses for textile waste. However, there is a vast research scope in this domain.By evaluating the current status of textile waste management in the United Republic of Tanzania, this Master’s thesis contributes to understanding the overall framework of the textile waste value chain, trying to capture the potential of reuse and recycling options for textile waste. In addition, the results may serve as an orientation tool for future legislation and policy on textile waste in low-income countries.