In the heart of Accra’s Kantamanto Market, the Apparel Recovery Coalition (ARC) was launched by a consortium of global fashion giants, with H&M Group, Inditex, adidas, BESTSELLER, The Or Foundation and Circle Economy joining forces to champion circular pathways for post‑consumer textiles in Ghana.
Reverend Opoku Afreh, President of the Kantamanto Obroniwawu Businesses Association (KOBA), welcomed the delegates and underscored the coalition’s intent to build on the community’s existing skills and infrastructure rather than supplant them. “We want our members to have access to the necessary infrastructure, investment and opportunities to expand their businesses, improve their livelihoods and strengthen the sustainable practices they have developed over decades,” he said.
The launch, staged on Egg Sellers Lane, featured upcycled canopies and a podium made from Cassaboard, a material derived from waste textiles by The Or Foundation’s Remanufactory. The event drew attention from the President’s office, with Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Shamima Muslim praising the move as a “monumental step” that acknowledges the role of local markets in keeping global fashion circular.
Gifty Anderson, Secretary of the Kantamanto Women’s Association, highlighted the significance of brands visiting the market directly: “Normally these decisions are made from boardrooms overseas leaving us to deal with the impacts of those decisions. But you have come to us, first to see with your own eyes what we have been dealing with.”
ARC will develop a producer responsibility blueprint over the next two years, engaging brands, sorters, recyclers, policymakers and affected communities to create practical solutions for the 1.4 million metric tons of used textiles exported annually from the EU to Africa and Asia. The coalition’s first demonstration project will focus on strengthening Ghana’s existing circular textile ecosystem, with The Or Foundation spearheading infrastructure improvements, environmental remediation and training programmes across Accra.
As the market recirculates 25 million garments each month, the coalition’s initiative aims to harness this scale to reduce environmental and social impacts such as water and soil pollution while boosting local livelihoods.
