Chile's Atacama Desert May Be Famous for the 'Giant' Geoglyph, but the U.S. Uses It as a 'Fast Fashion Graveyard'
The Atacama Desert has been an enigma for experts and enthusiasts worldwide. The geoglyphs found in the desert are its most eye-catching features. Apart from the mysterious geoglyphs, the Atacama desert has a dirty secret nestled in its folds, stated the University of Denver. The stunning desert in Chile does not have much human habitation because of its aridity. NASA often chooses the region as a site for training its astronauts headed to Mars.
Along with contributing to space successes, the place has now become a focus of a huge environmental hazard. In 2023, experts announced that they had found around 40,000 tons of textile waste in the area. The textile waste mostly comprised items like jogging shorts, party dresses, and cropped sweaters. The most intriguing thing about this waste was that many of these clothing pieces had never even been worn. Experts have found price tags attached to garments in the collection.
Most of the clothes found in this pile belong to what is called 'fast fashion.' Fast fashion refers to the quick production of trendy clothes with less investment. The cheap and fast methodologies involved in the manufacture of these clothes cause more damage to the environment than typical garment production.
Since the emergence of fast fashion in the 2000s, clothing output has increased to 100 billion pieces. Experts think the appeal of fast fashion lies in its affordability. "With the emergence of fast fashion, there’s a temptation: With $15, you can get a new sweater or a pair of jeans," Ali Besharat, associate professor of marketing in the Daniels College of Business and co-director of the Consumer Insights and Business Innovation Center (CiBiC), said. "So, what’s the point of getting a pair of jeans that will last four years but is going to cost $100 versus getting a $15 pair that you only wear twice and then you can move on?"
This 'fast fashion' produces around 92 million tonnes of textile waste every year, stated UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources. In this, 62,000 tonnes are transported to Chile. Some portion of it gets resold, however, the majority of the collection reaches the dumping ground in the Atacama desert. These pieces can litter the desert for centuries, as most of them are made out of polyester. Polyester is a fabric created out of plastics and oil, two elements that make it very hard for this material to decompose. This threatens the overall biodiversity of the country and is a health hazard for people. These pieces typically undergo incineration, which further elevates smoke pollution, a harbinger of many illnesses.
Authorities have tried to control this menace by formulating the Law of Extended Responsibility of the Producer. The provisions of this law ensure that companies are held responsible for the waste they generate. However, the limited resources of the government make the implementation of this law difficult. Some experts believe that one of the best ways to deal with the issue is consumer awareness and activism, stated University of Denver. "You do have power to make ecologically responsible decisions as a consumer,” said Katessia Robertson, who is pursuing a master’s of social work with a concentration in ecological justice.