Chile's Atacama Desert became the unlikely resting place for the world's discarded fashion, raising environmental concerns.
Julia Shipley and Muriel Alarcón report for Grist.
In short:
- The discovery of vast quantities of discarded clothing in the Atacama highlights the global issue of fashion waste management.
- The non-biodegradable nature of these clothes poses a significant threat to the local ecosystem.
- Efforts to address the issue are underway, but the scale of the problem highlights the challenges of managing textile waste globally.
Key quote:
"“Even if we stopped clothing production throughout the world tonight, we still have more garments than we need or that the Earth can safely hold."
— Francisca Gajardo, an Iquique-born fashion designer
Why it matters:
Those clothes are often infused or contaminated with PFAS, a hormone hijacker.
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