Browsing: upcycling textile industry

• For Uganda, upcycling waste textiles could create green jobs, with novice tailors earning US$4.6 per day and professionals making up to US$17.9 per day.
• However, to fully realize this opportunity, policy support, and investment in recycling infrastructure is vital.
• Equally, stakeholder collaboration will be crucial for transitioning Uganda towards a circular textile economy.

In the heart of Kampala, Owino Market thrives as Uganda’s largest second-hand clothing hub, welcoming thousands of traders and customers daily. While this trade powers the local economy, it also generates significant textile waste, contributing up to 48 tonnes of waste daily.

With most discarded textiles ending up in landfills, burned, or informally repurposed, a growing movement is seeking solutions—one that could turn waste into wealth. Can this initiative in Uganda be mapped onto other economies across the East African Community (EAC) where the trade in second-hand clothing is a booming business?

A recent study by WasteAid, …