The dark side of the fashion industry 'instant noodles'

Maybe when you look at the photo below, it's simply a dump. However, it was no ordinary landfill. It is a corner of the Atacama desert, which is known as the 'garbage dump of the world'.

A woman "buys" old clothes from the "giant dump" Atacama.

For many years, the industry of 'fast fashion' or 'fast fashion' has been bringing huge benefits to corporations and fashion giants. This industry brings users the latest trending suits at a price much lower than high fashion.

The peculiarity of this type of fashion are 'copy and paste' items - borrowing ideas from the original products and bringing them uniqueness. Popular brands that go in the "instant" direction can be mentioned Zara, H&M, Uniqlo. Of course, low prices also come with commensurate quality. The clothes of this low-cost fashion industry will be discarded very quickly, only to end up in 'garbage dumps' like the Atacama desert.

The Atacama Desert is flooded with a sea of ​​discarded clothes when taken from above.

But the photos that come to us from the Atacama Desert are hard to miss easily and show how the country is suffering more and more of the pollution created by fast fashion. Chile has long been a hub for unused or worn-out clothing, made in China or Bangladesh and shipped through Europe, Asia or the US before arriving here, where they're advertised. resale throughout Latin America.

The dark side of the trending fashion industry

Every year, about 39,000 tons of discarded clothes are collected in this desert. For ease of visualization, it is roughly equivalent to the mass of 27,000 midsize cars, but in fabric form.

According to a report by the French Press Agency, every year Chile receives about 59,000 tons of clothing. They mainly originate from strong textile countries such as China and Bangladesh, then are shipped to European and North American markets, before landing in South America.

Most of the clothing that reaches Chile is second-hand or second-hand, made in China or Bangladesh and shipped through Europe, Asia or the US before landing at the port of Iquique for cleaning, where they are advertised. resale throughout Latin America. Some of it will be redistributed and resold in Chile, but most of it ends up in the 'dumping ground' and stays there forever, as no government will accept paying taxes to bring it back home.

Globally, the fashion industry generates up to 92 million tons of fabric scrap each year, of which the United States alone is 17 million tons of discarded fabrics and clothes.

The batches of clothes are transported through many countries before landing in Chile.

Significant impact on the environment and life

The problem is that according to United Nations statistics, the sources of raw materials to produce clothes are scarce. For example, it takes more than 7,000 liters of water to make a pair of jeans. Or like the footwear industry, which currently contributes up to 8% of the total global greenhouse gas emissions each year.

Landfills like those in the Atacama desert can completely lead to disaster for living things, polluting the environment and water resources. Notably, the United Nations report in 2019 indicates that the amount of wastewater from the fashion industry has not tended to decrease in recent decades, with the main cause coming from the fashion of 'instant noodles' - accounts for 20% of the total global wastewater.

Clothes, whether synthetic or chemically treated, can take 200 years to decompose and contain as many harmful chemicals as discarded tires or plastic. 'Clothes are not suitable to be thrown out in the wild,' says Franklin Zepeda, founder of EcoFibra, which converts old clothes into insulating panels.

But of course, not everything goes to waste: some residents living near landfills 'look at' mountains of old clothes to wear or sell. Although the rest simply lies in that landfill, life grows more and more every year, thus forming the reality of 'consumerism'.

Fashion "instant noodles" are causing negative impacts on life in the world.