Nigeria Promotes Circular Economy: Recycled Plastics as a New Path for Fashion Industry Development

In Nigeria, discarded plastic bottles are commonly found scattered on the streets, with approximately 2.5 million tons of plastic waste produced each year, most of which ends up in landfills or the natural environment. However, plastic waste can be transformed into textile materials—global brands such as Adidas use ocean plastics to produce sports shoes, while H&M and Patagonia manufacture clothing from recycled polyester fibers. The specific process includes collecting post-consumer plastics (such as old bottles), cleaning them, shredding them into flakes, melting and granulating them, and finally spinning them into polyester yarn to make sportswear and footwear.

A research team (sustainable scientists focused on circular economy, ethics, and plastic management) recently evaluated the opportunities and challenges of the Nigerian fashion industry adopting recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET, a common plastic used for beverage bottles). International experience shows that replacing virgin materials with recycled PET in the production of polyester fibers can reduce carbon emissions by over 45%, but the potential in Nigeria is yet to be explored.

The research analyzes academic literature, industry reports, and policy documents to identify five influencing factors: technology, economy, environment, society, and regulation. A theoretical model is constructed to reveal the interactions among local craft knowledge, industrial design, environmental science, and policy frameworks, proposing recommendations to promote the development of the textile industry in a socially inclusive, ethically responsible, and environmentally sustainable manner.

[Core Challenges]

Weak infrastructure: Nigeria lacks large recycling plants, and recycled PET is mostly exported or downgraded into low-value products such as mats and fillers.

Consumer Awareness Limitation: A Lagos survey shows that only 18% of consumers are aware of recycled textiles, often equating them with symbols of poverty or second-hand clothing.

Comfort issue: Recycled polyester tends to absorb moisture and become stuffy in high temperature and high humidity environments (average daily temperature of 25-35℃ in Nigeria), requiring technological improvements.

Policy Gap: Unlike the European Union's "Extended Producer Responsibility" system, Nigeria lacks regulations and infrastructure to incentivize sustainable textiles, resulting in insufficient motivation for corporate innovation.

Global Experience and Local Innovation

International cases: Adidas transforms ocean plastic into sports equipment; H&M's global recycling program collected over 14,700 tons of old clothes in 2022; Patagonia's "Worn Wear" program encourages clothing repair and reuse. Local practices in Nigeria: Abuja startup Chanja Datti pilots a community recycling model; designer Maki Oh integrates traditional patterns with sustainable craftsmanship to promote a culture of "circular fashion."

[Transformation Path]

Establish distributed recycling centers: Set up small technical centers in the region to process PET waste locally and upgrade it to fibers, reducing transportation costs, creating jobs, and directly connecting with textile factories.

Support for small and medium-sized textile enterprises: provide financing support, sustainable technology training, and affordable equipment to aid in the large-scale application of recycled materials.

Consumer Education: Reshape the image of recycled fashion as "fashionable and high-quality" through public promotion, designer collaborations, and influencer partnerships.

Improve the policy system: Encourage industry transformation through tax incentives, recycling entrepreneurship subsidies, and government priority procurement of recycled textiles, to avoid excessive reliance on imports.

Nigeria, as the country with the largest youth population globally, an active fashion industry, and severe plastic pollution, could serve as a model for other developing countries facing similar challenges if it successfully integrates recycled plastic technology. This is not only an extension of Western sustainable fashion but also pertains to the green upgrading of local African industries and the practice of a circular economy.