Seminar Towards a More Circular Textile Sector in Kenya
📅 10 November 2026 at 10:00-13:00
📍 Business Student Services Centre (BSSC), Room 14, Main campus, Kenyatta University
We are pleased to invite you to a seminar on 10 November 2026 at Kenyatta University, bringing together researchers, educators, industry representatives and other stakeholders to discuss how Kenya’s textile sector can move towards more circular systems.
The seminar will look at the textile system from different perspectives – from industrial textile waste and second-hand textiles to education, policy and the challenges faced by textile manufacturers.
The programme will include a presentation of a recent study on post-industrial textile waste and circular production by Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) Tallinn centre. We will then hear from Africa Collect Textiles (ACT), a Kenyan social enterprise giving used clothes and shoes a second life through collection, re-use and upcycling, about its plans for more effective second-hand textile systems.
The presentations will be followed by two panel discussions exploring the transition towards a more circular textile sector in Kenya. The first panel will examine textile waste generation and management and the policy, regulatory and industry measures needed to improve the prevention, separation, collection and valorisation of textile waste. The second will focus on circular and sustainable design, exploring how designers, entrepreneurs, manufacturers and other actors can transform textile waste into new products, businesses and opportunities.
Agenda
10:00 Seminar Opening
10:05-10:15 Welcome, opening remarks and introduction to the seminar
10:15-10:45 Presentation “Textile waste generation in the Nairobi region and its potential for valorisation” - Harri Moora, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) Tallinn Centre
10:45-11:00 On Second-hand Textiles - Elmar Stroomer, Africa Collect Textiles:
11:00-11:35 Discussion I: The Next Generation of Designers: Expectations and Challenges.Moderator: Jacqueline Kisato, Kenyatta University.
Panelists: Jaana Päeva, Estonian Academy of Arts; Tatiana Teixeira, Founder and Creative Director of Afrowema, others TBA.
11:35-12:15 Discussion II: Strengthening Kenya's textile value chain - from production to circularity.
Moderator: Professor Josphat Igadwa, Moi University.
Panelists: Harri Moora, SEI; Elmar Stroomer, ACT; Beatrice Vaskyte, UNEP; Isaac Maluki, CEO of Shona EPZ.
12:15-12:25 Audience Q&A
12:25-12:30 Concluding remarks
12:30 Networking
The seminar is organised in collaboration between Kenyatta University, the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) Circular Design and Materials Research Group (DiMa), Africa Collect Textiles and Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) Tallinn centre, with support from the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV).
More info: mariliis.haljasorg@artun.ee
