Haptic & Hue

Textile Waste and the Catastrophe at Kantamanto


Listen Later

Early this year there was a catastrophic fire at the world’s biggest market for selling and upcycling second-hand clothes. Kantamanto market, in Ghana’s capital Accra, was accidently set alight, and most of the small stalls in the retail part of the huge market burnt to the ground. Two people died, many were injured, and the livelihoods of thousands of people were destroyed, driving many of them into debt and desperation. But the impact of the fire spread much further than that. 

 

You may not have heard of Kantamanto market, but it plays a vital role in dealing with our textile excess. This is where many of the clothes we donate to charity shops, goodwill centres, or put in textile bins end up. The West African market takes bales of clothing from all over the world and does its best to recycle them. But what can’t be used is dumped at informal waste sites or burned, causing mounting environmental problems in Accra’s streets and on Ghana’s beautiful beaches.  

 

This episode of Haptic and Hue’s Tales of Textiles looks at the tragedy and the ingenuity of Kantamanto and tracks the global cost of fast fashion and textile excess. Will the demand for cheap textiles and clothing stop increasing year on year and can they ever be properly recycled? And what can we as consumers do about it? 

 

For more information about this episode and pictures of the people and places mentioned in this episode please go to https://hapticandhue.com/tales-of-textiles-series-7/.

 

To join  Friends of Haptic & Hue with an extra podcast every month hosted by Jo Andrews and Bill Taylor – here’s the link: https://hapticandhue.com/join/

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Haptic & HueBy Jo Andrews

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

266 ratings


More shows like Haptic & Hue

View all
Cast On by Brenda Dayne

Cast On

453 Listeners

The Book Review by The New York Times

The Book Review

3,880 Listeners

The Yarniacs: A Knitting Podcast by Gayle & Sharlene

The Yarniacs: A Knitting Podcast

573 Listeners

Seamwork Radio: Sewing and Creativity by Seamwork

Seamwork Radio: Sewing and Creativity

713 Listeners

VeryPink Knits - Knitting Q and A by Staci Perry

VeryPink Knits - Knitting Q and A

531 Listeners

Love to Sew Podcast by Caroline Somos & Helen Wilkinson : Sewing Enthusiasts and Entrepreneurs

Love to Sew Podcast

1,071 Listeners

Threads Magazine Podcast: "Sewing With Threads" by Threads Magazine

Threads Magazine Podcast: "Sewing With Threads"

245 Listeners

Dressed: The History of Fashion by Dressed Media

Dressed: The History of Fashion

1,501 Listeners

The Long Thread Podcast by Long Thread Media

The Long Thread Podcast

198 Listeners

Sew What? by Isabella Rosner

Sew What?

60 Listeners

The Quilter on Fire Podcast by Brandy

The Quilter on Fire Podcast

197 Listeners

As the Season Turns by Ffern

As the Season Turns

202 Listeners

Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably by Zoe Edwards

Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably

87 Listeners

Pardon My Stash by Meg, Drea, Tina, and Jess

Pardon My Stash

169 Listeners

Sewing Club by Kylie Brule & Gemma Thebault

Sewing Club

23 Listeners