By Kayleigh Johnson ’22, editor in chief
Instead of moving mountains, people in the Atacama Desert region of South America are wearing them.
This is where almost 40,000 pounds of used or unsellable clothing end up. The fast-fashion industry creates more clothing than it can ever hope to sell, and the excess ends up in piles like these. The chemicals in the clothing make it inadmissible to regular garbage dumps. It also is not biodegradable, so the piles simply keep on growing.
Not everything goes to waste—locals and merchants alike look through the clothing to find usable pieces for themselves, their household or to sell. However, there is so much clothing that these activities do not even make a dent in the piles. This waste of clothing and natural resources is shameful and must come to an end.
The fast-fashion industry is responsible for 20% of the world’s total water waste. It also creates textile waste in excess of 92 million tons; an estimated 39 million tons end up in Chile yearly. It is time to stop consuming at such a level that we are unsustainably filling our deserts with chemical waste.
The clothing pollutes the air and the ground. It is also an eyesore to the natural beauty of the Chilean desert and a gruesome testament to the greed of fashionistas. The gross overconsumption of clothing has led to an ecological problem that may never be fixed. The piles of clothes in the desert stretch further than the eye can see.
Fast fashion is loved for its affordability and convenience. It is a useful option for people who cannot afford to shop sustainably. Fast fashion allows people who may not usually have the money to spare on clothes to still manage to express themselves through their dress and be comfortable in the clothes they can choose to wear. However, this does not negate the fact that the fashion industry is killing the planet. If there is to be any hope, companies need to halt the production of clothing at such alarming rates. The existing clothing should be recycled in conjunction with this initiative.
Efforts are being made to clean out the deserts and repurpose the discarded clothing. EcoFibra makes noise insulation panels out of old textiles. The resulting product is cheaper, more noise-canceling and better insulated than the other leading material, fiberglass. Another company, Ecocitex, makes yarn out of recycled textiles. The process to make this yarn uses no water and no chemicals, making it even more eco-friendly.
Individuals and enterprises alike need to take more steps towards reducing waste made by the fast-fashion industry. Consumers should do their best to shop sustainably, and companies should look into ways they can either recycle clothing themselves or support the businesses of those who do.