Uncovering the circular economy potential and opportunities for the textile and apparel sector in Kenya

¹ Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Research Center (ESCC-RC), Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute, Kenya
² School of Geography, Geology and Environment, Keele University, United Kingdom

^* Corresponding author: b.j.bowen@keele.ac.uk

Abstract

The global textile & apparel industry is undergoing rapid change driven by fast fashion trends, shift of consumer preferences towards eco-products and intensified environmental and social welfare-motivated regulations. A comprehensive survey was undertaken to determine the baseline status of the uptake of sustainability practices and compliance requirements for the textile and apparel sector in Kenya. The primary objective is to assess the circular economy readiness, identify existing resource efficiency and cleaner production practices and identify barriers and opportunities that if implemented will enable the sector to effectively transition to green and circular economy status characterized with high productivity and competitiveness. The survey covered a total of 12 carefully selected textile and apparel manufacturers in Kenya. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires, face-to-face interviews and detailed in-plant assessments were undertaken to verify the authenticity of the provided data. The investigation revealed a high degree of variability among the companies in resource use efficiency and circular transition readiness. The survey recommends the integration of sustainability principles at all stages of the value chain to include sustainable procurement and interactive database enabled textile platforms that aid the monitoring, evaluation and research on how different textile waste streams can be diverted from the landfill.