Adidas, H&M and Inditex join coalition to tackle the impact of used clothing exports
The Apparel Recovery Coalition will design a producer responsibility model for countries that receive the world's second-hand garments, starting in Ghana.
The Or Foundation and fashion companies Adidas, Bestseller, H&M Group and Inditex have launched the Apparel Recovery Coalition (ARC) to address the impact of used clothing exported to countries in Africa and Asia.
Over the next two years, the coalition, supported by the Amsterdam-based nonprofit Circle Economy, will design and pilot a producer responsibility model built around the global flow of second-hand textiles. It plans to work with brands, sorters, recyclers, policymakers and affected communities.
Producer responsibility schemes usually apply only where clothes are first sold, even though many used garments cross borders and create waste elsewhere. About 1.4 million metric tons of used textiles leave the European Union every year, mostly for Africa and Asia, according to the European Environment Agency.
The coalition launched at Kantamanto Market in Accra, Ghana, a global hub for reusing, repairing and upcycling second-hand clothes that the Or Foundation estimates recirculates 25 million garments a month. Ghana will host the first demonstration project, with work on market infrastructure, environmental cleanup and job training across the city. The group plans at least one more project in another receiving country.
The four brands will make voluntary contributions in 2026 and 2027 to fund circular economy work in second-hand markets.
This brief is based on reporting by Peter Dennis, published Sept. 30, 2026, in Circular Online. Read the original: https://www.circularonline.co.uk/news/adidas-and-hm-part-of-group-launching-apparel-recovery-coalition/
This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by an editor before publication.
