In Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, a massive mountain of discarded clothing has become a striking symbol of the global fast fashion crisis. Outside the northern city of Alto Hospicio, thousands of tonnes of unwanted garments from around the world now cover the desert landscape. Many clothes arrived through the international second-hand trade, with some finding new owners while others remained unsold and were abandoned. The sprawling piles continue to grow each year, reflecting the mounting environmental challenges created by overproduction, overconsumption and textile waste. The growing textile waste site, estimated to contain around 60,000 tonnes of clothing, includes jackets, shoes, children’s wear and even garments with tags still attached. Reportedly, satellite images revealed the scale of the problem, highlighting the hidden environmental cost of modern fashion consumption.
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