CALL FOR PAPERS Second Hand Clothing Pipeline

💡 THEME: The Hidden Cost of Donation

📣CALL FOR ACTION-ORIENTED PAPERS

Second Hand Clothing Pipeline: Investigating Waste, Ethics, and Systemic Impact in the Global South

The People's Hub invites researchers, investigative journalists, policymakers, fashion industry analysts, and community leaders to submit papers and case studies that disassemble and scrutinize the worldwide second-hand clothing export trade, addressing its role in waste colonialism. However, our focus is not just on critique; rather, we seek in-depth analyses that move beyond mere awareness in order to provide practical, actionable solutions for transforming this critical trade. Through this transformation, we aim to ensure that the trade upholds ethical standards, supports local economies, and minimizes environmental harm in recipient nations. Consequently, accepted papers will be published on The Peoples Hub to inform consumer choices, drive government policy changes, and hold brands and charities accountable.

🎯 SCOPE & FOCUS AREAS: Putting the Jigsaw Pieces Together

We are looking for papers that investigate the complexity of this trade. Particularly its impact on other nations (e.g., Chile, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Uganda, etc.).

Papers must connect the donation act in the Global North to the resulting economic, environmental, and cultural consequences in the Global South.

1. The Ethics of Donation and Export:
   • Consumer Deception: Case studies examining the discrepancy between consumer intent (local donation for need) and the reality (bulk export for profit).
   • Policy Gaps: Analysis of regulatory failures or subsidies in exporter nations (e.g., the UK, USA) that incentivize the off-loading of textile waste rather than domestic circular solutions.
   • Requirement: Propose ethical frameworks or certification systems (consistent with the spirit of Note G) for donation organizations.
2. Impact on Recipient Nations (Economic & Cultural):
   • Economic Collapse: Analysis of how the influx of cheap, high-volume clothing (known as mitumba or similar) destroys local textile manufacturing and tailoring industries.
   • Cultural Disruption: Case studies on how the dominance of Western fast fashion (even second hand) affects cultural dress, traditional textiles, and local fashion identity in recipient countries.
   • Requirement: Identify local initiatives (e.g., upcycling) that are successfully fighting back and propose scaling strategies.
3. Brands, Waste, and the Supply Chain:
   • Brand Case Studies: Investigations tracing the fate of specific brands' clothes (e.g., Fast Fashion, Luxury, Outdoor Gear) once they enter the export pipeline. Which materials end up as profit, and which end up in landfills or burning piles (e.g., Accra, Ghana)?
   • Transparency and Responsibility: Solutions for compelling major brands to take mandatory financial or physical responsibility for their garments at the end of their first life, rather than relying on the export market as a dumping ground.
4. Actionable & Circular Alternatives:
   • Closed-Loop Systems: Blueprints for viable, decentralized, and community-led systems for textile circularity in the Global North that prevent clothing from needing to be exported.
   • Fair Trade Second-Hand: Models for restructuring the second hand clothing trade to ensure fair prices. Transparent profit-sharing with recipient country partners, and quality control that prevents unusable clothes from being shipped.

Dead White Man's Clothes - Atmos | Part 1: A Closet Full of Clothes

✍️ SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

We welcome two types of submissions: Investigative Papers and Action Blueprints. All submissions must be highly evidence-based and written to inform and compel action from consumers, corporations, and governments.

Required Sections for ALL Submissions:

1. Title, Author(s), & Affiliation
2. Executive Summary (250 words): A concise summary of the issue uncovered and the core action steps proposed.
3. The Donation-Export Connection: Clear definition of the pipeline segment being investigated and its ethical conflict.
4. Case Study Evidence: Detailed evidence (data, interviews, photographic proof) focusing on specific brands, markets, or waste sites.
5. Impact Analysis: Clear explanation of the economic, cultural, and environmental consequences in the recipient nation.
6. Actionable Plan / Policy Blueprint: The most critical section. This must provide step-by-step, transferable instructions or policy recommendations for systemic change.
7. References: Use a consistent citation style (e.g., APA, Chicago).

📅 KEY DATES (Tentative)

📢 THE HUB'S COMMITMENT: PUBLICATION AND ACTION

Accepted papers will be utilized to drive tangible change:

• Published: Featured prominently on The People's Hub and simultaneously aggressively disseminated across worldwide fashion, policy, and development networks.
• Promoted for Action: Furthermore, we will use the Actionable Plan sections to organize advocacy campaigns, launch media awareness efforts, and subsequently lobby governments and major retailers for mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation for textiles.
• Ethical Standard: Crucially, all accepted work must uphold the highest standards of journalistic and academic integrity, thereby prioritizing solutions that ensure dignity, equity, and environmental sustainability in the Global South.

Submission Procedure

All papers must be submitted electronically as a single Word or PDF document to: contact@thepeopleshub.org