Accra to Host Global Textile Accountability Summit as Ghana Pushes for Downstream Reforms

Ghana will host the Landfills2Landmarks 2026 Summit_ next month, positioning Accra at the center of a global push for stronger accountability in the imported used clothing trade.

The announcement follows a high-level pre-summit webinar that drew participants from 20 countries to discuss enforcement, traceability, and funding for end-of-life textile outcomes.

From Concern to Enforcement
Titled _“Regulating the Imported Used Clothing Economy: Ghana’s Enforcement Pathway, Cross-Border Responsibility, and Funding End-of-Life Outcomes,”_ the webinar shifted the debate from “repeated concerns about textile waste” to concrete governance tools.

“The conversation has moved beyond concern,” said Samuel Ofori-Gyampoh of Landfills2Landmarks. “Receiving markets now need evidence, standards, enforcement pathways, and financing models that reflect the real cost of managing textiles after they enter the market.”

Speakers included officials from Ghana’s Environmental Protection Authority, Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Ghana Standards Authority, UNEP, the UK’s Textile Recycling Association, Textile Recycling International, ReFuture Foundation, and the Ghana Used Clothing Dealers Association, among others.

What’s Happening in May
Landfills2Landmarks 2026_ will run from 18–22 May 2026 at Labadi Beach Hotel, Accra* under the theme *TRACE. ACCOUNT. REBUILD.

The summit is designed as a “working platform” bringing together regulators, customs bodies, brands, exporters, importers, recyclers, investors, and community stakeholders.

Programme highlights:
– Mon 18 May: Bilateral Meetings
– Tue 19 May: Town Hall, Live Bale Labs and Exhibition
– Wed 20 May: Official Opening and Plenary Session
– Thu 21 May: Global Roundtable and Circular Investment Forum
– Thu 21 May Evening: Iconic Fashion Show led by GTP@60

A key feature will be Live Bale Labs demonstrating the _Bale Index_ — a new downstream evidence layer to track post-export textile flows and end-of-life outcomes.

Why Accra, Why Now?
Organizers say Ghana offers a critical vantage point. The country sits next to “one of the world’s most visible downstream textile economies” and is central to debates on regulation, testing capacity, and circular infrastructure.

The summit comes as global textile governance tightens, with downstream markets demanding “a stronger role in how the system is regulated.”

Who’s Attending
Landfills2Landmarks is inviting regulators, customs bodies, standards institutions, trade associations, brands, exporters, importers, recyclers, development partners, investors, and media covering trade, sustainability, and public policy.

The 2026 event builds on the 2025 gathering and ongoing work on downstream evidence and textile traceability.