Landfills to Landmarks Accra to Host Global Summit on Textile Trade Accountability

ACCRA, Ghana — May 2026

A global effort to rethink the secondhand clothing trade will converge in Accra this May as policymakers, industry leaders, and investors gather for Landfills2Landmarks 2026, a summit focused on how the world manages used textiles.

At the centre of the discussion is a persistent imbalance. Systems designed around reuse and circularity often end in waste accumulation in receiving markets. The framing of the summit, from landfills to landmarks, reflects an attempt to reverse that outcome.

A system shaped upstream but carried downstream

The secondary textile trade operates across two realities.

In exporting markets it is positioned as a sustainability solution that extends the life of clothing and reduces waste. In importing markets, particularly across parts of Africa, the outcomes are more complex. Large volumes of unsellable garments place pressure on local systems and expose gaps in infrastructure and regulation.

Landfills2Landmarks 2026 brings these two sides into direct engagement.

The five day summit from May 18 to 22 will convene regulators, standards bodies, investors, and operators to examine how upstream decisions translate into downstream outcomes and how those outcomes can be improved.

From visibility to accountability

The summit is organised around three priorities. TRACE focuses on visibility across post export flows and the need for verifiable data on where garments go and how they are processed. ACCOUNT addresses the alignment of responsibility across jurisdictions and the need to move from expectations to enforceable standards. REBUILD focuses on execution through practical frameworks for infrastructure, data systems, and investment that can shift the sector towards circular value.

A working platform for decisions

The programme is structured as a working week rather than a conventional conference.

Delegates will begin with bilateral meetings followed by open trade sessions and town halls that bring upstream and downstream actors into direct conversation. Midweek plenary sessions will shape policy direction while a Global Roundtable will focus on developing draft frameworks for standards, compliance, and investment.

A Circular Investment Forum will connect capital with opportunities in reuse systems, recycling infrastructure, and traceability solutions.

Ground level visibility

Participants will also take part in field visits and market engagements to observe how imported textiles are sorted, traded, reused, and discarded.

This exposure is intended to connect policy discussions with operational realities and to provide a clearer understanding of how global flows translate into local outcomes.

Growing pressure on the system

The summit takes place at a time of increasing scrutiny of the global secondhand clothing trade. Concerns around quality control, waste management, and accountability continue to grow, even as demand for affordable clothing remains strong.

This creates a policy challenge that sits at the intersection of trade, sustainability, and economic development.

From waste to value

Organisers say the goal is to move the sector from a system that externalises waste to one that captures value.

The idea of moving from landfills to landmarks reflects a broader shift towards aligning standards, investment, and accountability with real outcomes across the value chain.

The Accra summit is expected to contribute to that shift by bringing decision makers into direct engagement with both policy and practice.

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