The Basel Convention should seek a more holistic approach across policy frameworks that can bring the necessary nuance to break beyond the binary black-white definition of waste so as to support the communities at the heart of a complex, contextual and dynamic industry advancing circularity. Such a holistic and nuanced approach requires establishing the enabling conditions of more detailed HS Codes, Globally Accountable Extended Producer Responsibility and feedback loops beyond bulk shipping units all the way to the people working hard to manage individual garments however. It’s this daily feedback and engagement within the world’s largest secondhand clothing market and its surrounding communities that drive our work and that we urge to be a model for an inclusive and Just transition in service to the people and ecosystems doing the heavy lifting.

Read the full statement here