Used clothing rarely stays where it was originally purchased. Every year, large volumes of post-consumer textiles are exported from Europe to Africa and Asia.  

Through the establishment of the Apparel Recovery Coalition (ARC), BESTSELLER is joining forces with adidas, H&M Group, Inditex and the Ghanaian NGO The Or Foundation to develop and test new solutions that can strengthen the management of post-consumer textiles in the countries where they ultimately end up.  

The aim is to explore how producer responsibility systems can help support existing local systems for reuse, repair, upcycling, recycling and waste management.  

First pilot project underway 

The coalition was launched today in Ghana with a demonstration project in Accra, home to one of the world’s largest second-hand clothing markets, Kantamanto Market, which handles vast quantities of textiles every year. The project will explore how to support and strengthen existing circular solutions and local infrastructure.  

Over the next two years, ARC will gather insights and experience from stakeholders across the value chain, including brands, sorting companies, recyclers, producer responsibility organisations, policymakers and affected communities.  

For BESTSELLER, participating in ARC is an opportunity to contribute to the development of the systems and partnerships needed to support a more circular approach to textile management globally.

“Textiles move across borders, and the solutions need to do the same. Through ARC, we hope to contribute knowledge and practical experience that can help strengthen circularity within existing systems for post-consumer textiles. Simultaneously, ARC seeks to promote that communities handling textiles have decent working and living conditions and a voice in the decisions affecting them” says Claus Teilmann Petersen, Stakeholder Engagement and Human Rights  Manager at BESTSELLER.  

The participating brands will provide voluntary financial contributions to support ARC’s activities. The ambition is for additional fashion brands and stakeholders to join the collaboration over time.  
About ARC

  • ARC stands for Apparel Recovery Coalition.  

  • The coalition is a collaboration between adidas, BESTSELLER, H&M Group, Inditex and The Or Foundation.  

  • It aims to explore how producer responsibility schemes can contribute to more circular solutions for post-consumer textiles.  

  • The first demonstration project is taking place in Ghana, centered around Kantamanto Market in Accra, one of the world’s largest second-hand clothing markets.  

  • The learnings will contribute to knowledge and practical experience related to reuse, repair, upcycling, recycling and waste management of post-consumer textiles.  

  • The coalition expects to launch at least one additional demonstration project in another country that receives large volumes of used textiles.  
About The Or Foundation

The Or Foundation is a non-profit organisation (NGO). For more than 15 years, The Or Foundation has worked to support the secondhand clothing ecosystem in Accra, Ghana, including Kantamanto Market.

The organisation works to strengthen livelihoods for the many people who depend on the second-hand clothing market and to improve the management of the environmental and social challenges associated with the sector.