Discarded British garments are choking Ghana’s vital wetlands, exposing a hidden cost of fast fashion’s relentless churn. An Unearthed and Greenpeace Africa investigation reveals how household UK brands—Next, Asda’s George, Marks & Spencer, Zara, H&M, and Primark—are implicated in a mounting environmental disaster, as their unwanted clothes surface in protected African conservation zones teeming with wildlife.
The Dark Side of Fashion’s Global Supply Chain
The Densu Delta wetlands, lying just outside Ghana’s capital Accra, are internationally recognized for their ecological significance. They are home to three endangered species of sea turtles, and their intricate network of waterways sustains local communities and biodiversity alike. Yet, among the reeds and mangroves, a disturbing new feature mars the landscape: sprawling dumps of synthetic clothing, much of it bearing the labels of Britain’s most familiar high street names.
The images are stark. Wastepickers scavenge through heaps of polyester and cotton, seeking anything of value. These sites, only four years old, have grown at an alarming pace—testament to the flood of secondhand clothing exported from the UK and Europe to West Africa. “Graveyard” is no exaggeration. The wetlands are being suffocated by the very garments once paraded as symbols of affordable style and modern living.
How UK Brands Ended Up in Ghana’s Wetlands
In a meticulously documented investigation, Unearthed reporters traced discarded clothes from brands including Next, George at Asda, and Marks & Spencer to two newly established dump sites within the Densu Delta. A third site, ominously perched on the banks of a river feeding into the conservation area, yielded further evidence—garments from Zara, H&M, and Primark mingling with the detritus.
These findings are not anomalies. Instead, they reflect a systemic reliance on exporting used clothing as a form of waste management. Buyers across the UK—often with the best intentions—donate or discard last season’s styles, only for their wardrobes to begin a journey with dire global consequences. Much of what arrives in Ghana is too worn or unfashionable to resell, and when local markets are saturated, the remainder is dumped—out of sight, but now painfully in view.
Environmental and Social Fallout: Wetlands Under Siege
For the communities living around the Densu Delta, the impact is immediate and devastating. Synthetic fast fashion, engineered for fleeting trends rather than durability, does not decompose. Instead, it clogs waterways, ensnares wildlife, and invades fishing nets. Local fishermen report mounting frustrations as their daily catches dwindle, compromised by the ever-growing mass of textile waste choking the ecosystem.
The wetlands’ unique role as a sanctuary for sea turtles and a buffer against coastal erosion is under threat. With each new dump, the fragile balance tips further toward collapse. The environmental crisis is no longer abstract; it is woven into the very fabric of daily life in these Ghanaian communities.
The Brands Respond: Promises Amidst a Growing Crisis
Confronted with the findings, the implicated fashion labels offered a familiar refrain: the industry faces “challenges around processing textile waste.” But what does accountability look like when the cost of consumption is measured in ruined habitats and poisoned livelihoods?
- M&S, George, and Primark pointed to their existing “take-back” schemes, designed to collect used clothing for recycling or responsible disposal.
- H&M, Zara, and George voiced support for an “extended producer responsibility” framework—an industry-wide system that would make brands legally accountable for the end-of-life impact of the products they sell.
While these initiatives signal a growing awareness, critics argue they do not address the sheer volume of clothing produced or the lack of meaningful infrastructure in receiving countries. Take-back schemes often fail to explain what happens after collection, and extended producer responsibility remains more an aspiration than a reality.
Fast Fashion’s Global Waste Economy: Why Ghana?
Ghana has become an unwitting epicenter of the fast fashion waste crisis. Every week, hundreds of tonnes of secondhand clothing—some of it barely worn, much of it unsellable—arrive at Accra’s ports. Local traders, hoping to salvage and resell what they can, are left to contend with the residue. What was once a thriving secondhand market now teeters under the weight of Western overconsumption.
Why Ghana? The answer lies in a convergence of weak international regulation, economic necessity, and the global north’s hunger for trend-driven, disposable clothing. The UK and Europe, under pressure to divert textiles from landfill, ship their problem abroad. Ghana, with its open markets and entrepreneurial spirit, absorbs the cost—until the burden overwhelms both people and planet.
Accountability and the Future of Sustainable Fashion
This crisis exposes the chasm between sustainability rhetoric and reality. While brands tout recycled packaging and eco-friendly lines, the fate of their core products—millions of cheaply made garments—remains unresolved. The Densu Delta’s plight is a clarion call for the fashion industry to reckon with the true price of its business model.
What would meaningful change require? Transparency about where donated clothes end up. Investment in local waste management infrastructure. Legal frameworks that hold brands responsible for the full lifecycle of their products—not just what happens on the shop floor.
Ultimately, the fashion industry must move beyond piecemeal solutions. The crisis in Ghana’s wetlands is not a distant tragedy but a mirror reflecting our collective choices. Every discarded t-shirt and impulse buy carries a legacy that extends far beyond our wardrobes.
Conclusion: A Call for Global Responsibility
The story unfolding in the Densu Delta wetlands is emblematic of fashion’s global footprint—a footprint that, for too long, has been hidden from view. The evidence uncovered by Unearthed and Greenpeace Africa is both indictment and invitation: an indictment of business-as-usual, and an invitation to imagine a fashion industry that values stewardship over speed.
As the tide of fast fashion rises, so too does the urgency for action. The time for glossy pledges has passed. What is required now is genuine accountability, systemic reform, and a new vision for what fashion can—and must—be in a world that can no longer afford its waste.
