• It says clothing materials, such as polyester, acrylic and nylon, shed micro-plastics known as microfibres whenever washed or worn.
• A past report suggests about 30 per cent of all mitumba clothes end up in landfills.
Image: FILE
How often do you wash your clothes? Chances are, many Kenyans only wash their clothes after wearing them several times.
This may be bad news for hygiene, but the Gigiri-based UN Environment Programme (Unep) says it is actually good news for the environment.
Unep is already preparing for next month’s World Environment Day with a strong focus on plastics.
It says clothing materials, such as polyester, acrylic and nylon, shed microplastics known as microfibres whenever they are washed or worn.
According to a 2020 UNEP report that maps the global textile value chain, around nine per cent of annual microplastic losses to the ocean come from clothes and other textiles.
“To reduce these losses, experts recommend re-wearing clothes more often and washing them less often,” Unep said in a statement issued on Friday.
Unep said it is also participating in the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion to campaign for a more environmentally friendly textile industry with minimal microplastics.
“Policymakers need to implement stronger governance and policies, as well as create a policy environment which incentivises the design of sustainable fabrics and clothing,” Elisa Tonda, Unep’s head of consumption and production, said.
“Brands should strengthen their efforts in designing sustainable clothing and take responsibility for their products at end-of-life.”
Unep said the world is drowning under the weight of plastics pollution, with more than 430 million tonnes of plastic produced annually.
Two-thirds are short-lived products that soon become waste, filling the ocean and, often, working their way into the human food chain.
One of the most damaging of these is microplastics, tiny plastic particles present in everyday items, including cigarettes, clothing and cosmetics.
When ingested by marine life such as birds, fish, mammals and plants, microplastics have both toxic and mechanical effects, leading to issues including reduced food intake, suffocation, behavioural changes and genetic alteration.
Last month, a report by the Netherlands-based Changing Markets Foundation noted that one-third of all secondhand clothing shipped to Kenya in 2021 was "plastic waste in disguise", creating a slew of environmental and health problems for local communities.
The report suggested approximately 30 per cent of all mitumba clothes end up in landfills.
Much of the mitumba imported into Kenya is made from petroleum-based materials such as polyester, or are in such bad shape that they are practically waste.
"More than one in three pieces of used clothing shipped to Kenya is a form of plastic waste in disguise and a substantial element of toxic plastic pollution in the country," the report said.
The research was based on customs data as well as fieldwork by non-profit organisation Wildlight and the activist group Clean Up Kenya, which conducted dozens of interviews.
"I have seen people open bales with skiing gear and winter clothes, which are of no use to most Kenyans," Betterman Musasia, the founder of Clean Up Kenya, said.
In its report, Unep also blamed cigarettes because microplastics known as cellulose acetate fibres comprise the majority of cigarette filters.
“With six trillion cigarettes consumed by one billion smokers annually, these fibres reach every corner of the world. Cigarette butts are the most common plastic litter on beaches, making marine ecosystems highly susceptible to micro-plastic leakages,” Unep said.
(Edited by V. Graham)