Fast fashion shows its scandalous hidden side in the Atacama desert. In this town, in the north of Chile, there is an huge clothing dump. The images of the shocking scene went viral and generated a stir on thesocial networks.
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Large volumes of garments are produced every day following rapidly changing trends. The prevailing logic is to use and discard.
The garments that enter Chile do so through the port of Iquique and are classified there. Those that are not suitable for sale are discarded and dumped illegally into the desert, many times still with the labels, since it cannot be taken to common landfills because it does not prevent proper soil compaction.
In the Chilean case, moreover, much of the clothing that enters is discarded from the higher-income countries, in some cases used and in others brand new. Importers buy it in huge packages and when it arrives they classify it. What doesn't work for them is thrown away, detailed C5N.
According to UN figures, the textile industry produces 20% of the world's wastewater, and is responsible for 20% of total water waste globally and 10% of carbon emissions. Furthermore, 73% of clothing is thrown away after being worn and less than 1% enters a reuse cycle.
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Fast fashion or fast fashion
Fast fashion, or fast fashion, is a concept that proposes cheap, low-quality clothing produced in large volumes, which follows trends that vary rapidly depending on the country and the season and is constantly changing. renewal. This generates the existence of millions of garments that are used in an almost disposable way and end up in garbage dumps.
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The human cost of this trend is the labor exploitation of millions of people in South Asia, in countries such as Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lankan and Chinese. There, child labor in terrible conditions is commonplace and allows low costs of sale to the public.
In addition, it encourages exaggerated consumerism. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which promotes a circular economy, there are garments that are used between 7 and 10 times and are thrown away. In high- and middle-income countries, many people admitted to having more clothes than they needed.
Environmental cost
Clothing production accounts for 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Other alarming data: producing a jean requires about 8 thousand liters of water and cotton cultivation uses 25% of the pesticides produced on the planet.
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The most representative fast fashion brand worldwide is H&M, but Zara, C&A, Primark and Topshop also stand out.
In opposition, the movement slow fashion arose, or slow fashion, which proposes the use of ecological materials, artisan work and fair prices for producers and consumers, in addition to the reuse of garments in the circular economy framework.
Sustainable clothing
Last week, Los Andes published an interview with Bianca Fazio, a young entrepreneur from Mendoza who created her brand of sustainable clothing .
In relation to the concept of fast fashion, she affirms: “the fashion industry is very polluting. Thanks to fast fashion , large quantities of clothing are made at very low cost and in poor conditions for the workers.
It is good that consumers are aware of this and start buying in a more sustainable and conscious way”.
