The recent fire at Kantamanto Market, just like the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013, highlights fashion’s systemic flaws. From Dhaka to Accra, labor exploitation and environmental neglect show the need for urgent reform.
When a devastating fire swept through Kantamanto Market in Ghana’s capital Accra last week, it not only displaced thousands of traders but also exposed a grim reality about the global fashion industry’s unchecked excess. The blaze consumed more than 2,500 shops and stalls, reducing years of hard work to ashes. Kantamanto Market, known as one of the largest secondhand clothing markets in the world, is a lifeline for tens of thousands of people who rely on discarded fashion from wealthier nations to earn a living through resale, repair, and upcycling.
“All we have left is bare ground,” Yayra Agbofah, founder of The Revival, an upcycling brand based in Kantamanto, said in a heartfelt post on social media. The Or Foundation, a non-profit that has long advocated for sustainable fashion and waste management in Ghana, reported that around 8,000 traders were affected, with ten of the market’s thirteen sections sustaining catastrophic damage. The foundation has committed $1 million to relief efforts and is working with local authorities and international partners to raise additional funds.
This is not an isolated event. Fires happen frequently at Kantamanto, largely due to the market’s precarious infrastructure. Rapid, unplanned expansion has left it vulnerable to disasters, while heavy rains and flooding regularly disrupt operations. Yet, Kantamanto is more than a market; it is a vital cog in fashion’s global waste management system, receiving an estimated 15 million pieces of secondhand clothing every week. Without it, vast amounts of textile waste would end up in landfills or oceans.
The disaster echoes a similar tragedy from more than decade ago on the other side of the fashion world. On April 24, 2013, the Rana Plaza building in Savar, Bangladesh, collapsed, killing more than 1,100 garment workers and injuring approximately 2,500. The eight-story building, which housed several factories producing clothing for major international brands, had shown visible cracks the day before. Despite this, workers were ordered to return under threat of losing their wages.
“Ten years after more than a thousand workers died in the Rana Plaza factory collapse, labor rights abuses are still rife in Bangladesh, and many are still working in unsafe conditions,” Paul Nowak of the Trades Union Congress, said on the event’s ten-year anniversary. Despite the initial outcry and promises of reform following Rana Plaza, significant issues persist. The legally binding Bangladesh Accord, signed by more than 200 brands, was a step toward improved safety and transparency, but garment workers continue to face unsafe working conditions, low wages, and exploitation.
The parallels between Kantamanto and Rana Plaza reveal two sides of the same coin — fashion’s systemic neglect of both people and the planet. In Bangladesh, it manifests in exploitative labor practices and inadequate factory safety measures. In Ghana, it takes the form of mountains of textile waste dumped by the Global North, burdening informal markets with the task of sorting, repurposing, or disposing of the excess.
Kantamanto’s traders exemplify resilience, constantly innovating to breathe new life into discarded garments. The Or Foundation estimates that these traders recirculate 25 million secondhand items every month through resale and upcycling. Yet, this vital work often goes unrecognized, even as it plays a crucial role in reducing fashion’s environmental footprint.
“Kantamanto’s model of reusing and recycling clothing offers a powerful example of sustainable fashion in action, highlighting the potential for local initiatives to drive global change,” said Daniel Mawuli Quist, creative director of The Or Foundation. He emphasized the urgent need for international solidarity and tangible support to rebuild the market and sustain its operations.
Following the fire, luxury resale platform Vestiaire Collective, which partners with The Or Foundation, announced efforts to mobilize its community to support relief and rebuilding initiatives. “We are deeply saddened by the devastating fire at Kantamanto Market, a hub that represents both the challenges and the opportunities for sustainable fashion,” said Dounia Wone, Vestiaire Collective’s chief impact officer. “Now more than ever, this tragedy reminds us of the urgent need to rethink how the global fashion system works.”
The urgency to rethink fashion’s global model is underscored by the rise of ultra-fast fashion brands. Fast fashion drove the demand leading to the deadly conditions at Rana Plaza, and continues to dominate the industry, with brands like Shein and Temu emerging in the decade since Rana’s collapse. Shein, which reportedly adds up to 10,000 new styles daily, is among the leading culprits driving the endless churn of cheap clothing that fuels both labor exploitation and environmental degradation. In 2022, Shein admitted to labor violations in two of its Chinese factories, where workers were found to be clocking up to 18-hour shifts with minimal pay. The company pledged $15 million to address supply chain issues, but critics argue that such efforts barely scratch the surface of the systemic exploitation that props up ultra-fast fashion.
While the Rana Plaza disaster prompted the creation of the Bangladesh Accord, aimed at improving safety in garment factories, enforcement remains inconsistent. In 2021, efforts to expand the accord’s scope to Pakistan gained momentum, highlighting the continued need for binding international agreements to protect workers. Meanwhile, grassroots organizations like the Clean Clothes Campaign continue to advocate for garment workers’ rights, emphasizing the ongoing struggle against unsafe working conditions and unfair wages.
In Ghana, the fire at Kantamanto has reignited calls for extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations, which would require brands to take accountability for the entire lifecycle of their products, including end-of-life disposal. The European Union is currently considering EPR policies, with insights from markets like Kantamanto playing a pivotal role in shaping the discussion.
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