A new fashion line drops, or a TikTok trend goes viral, and suddenly, you’re with a new Zara bag. Sure, your wallet feels it, but have you ever stopped to wonder where all old clothes end up? The accumulation of textile waste around the world is a growing environmental concern. In Chile’s Atacama Desert alone, over 39,000 tons of clothing are dumped each year — many of which were never even purchased.
In the age of late-stage capitalism and relentless consumerism, we’re constantly bombarded with the next big thing. No matter how much you buy (or how many pairs of shoes you own), there’s always something newer, better and cooler just around the corner, waiting for you to replace it. Whether it’s influencers on Instagram or ads powered by algorithms, the message is always the same: “stay updated”.
According to a report of the International Resource Panel (IRP), we tripled our natural resource consumption from 1970 to 2010 — that’s equivalent to 22 billion tons, and that was before the pandemic even hit. On one hand, the global health crisis prompted us to reflect on our consumption habits; on the other, it led to the rise and consolidation of platforms like TikTok, which have only fueled these practices even further.
In 2024, Earth Overshoot Day, which fell on August 1st, signaled that in just seven months, we had already used up all the resources the Earth could regenerate for that entire year. A year earlier, global CO₂ concentrations hit record levels. But how does fashion contribute to it?
The fashion waste
The fast fashion industry generates massive amounts of waste. In 2018, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reported that it takes 3,781 litres of water and 33.4 kilograms of carbon to make one pair of jeans — but the hole is way deeper.
Beyond the environmental cost of production, we also need to consider the speed at which these garments are made. In addition to the humanitarian issues embedded in the fashion supply chain, the disposal of unsold clothing is deeply concerning. With one trend replacing another in the blink of an eye, items quickly become outdated and unappealing, and it’s the planet that ends up paying the price.
After being forgotten in department store stockrooms, clothes are discarded in landfills or sent to incinerators. Today, three-fifths of all clothing produced annually ends up this way, and we must remember that this is happening in an economic system where nearly 44% of the global population lives on less than $6.85 per day.
Where do they go?
Beyond the Atacama Desert, other landscapes in Asia and Africa are also destinations for discarded clothes coming from the Global North, especially the United States and Europe. In some places, the pile of clothes can reach up to 15 meters (about 49 feet) high. It’s a heap of T-shirts, pants, and shoes that will take over 200 years to decompose. But how did they end up there?
According to BBC World, the clothes that end up in the Chilean desert arrive by truck in the Iquique Free Zone, an industrial park where various global companies operate and trade goods tax-free. Its strategic location allows for commercial exchange with other Latin American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia.
The clothes that end up there are, in reality, the castoffs of donations made to charities in wealthy countries. What doesn’t “cut” is quietly offloaded onto developing nations. While a small percentage of these pieces are resold locally and globally —, the vast majority end up in landfills that are often located in communities already facing high levels of poverty and social vulnerability.
What can you do?
While large-scale and effective actions must ultimately come from governments and fast fashion corporations, raising awareness about sustainable fashion is still essential.
Of course, not everyone can afford to consume slow fashion — that is, brands that prioritize ethical production, environmental responsibility, and fair labor practices — because of their higher prices, however, understanding the impact of our choices is an important first step.
Upcycling and circular fashion, including thrift stores and second-hand clothing, are viable alternatives to help reduce, even if only partially, the consumption and waste driven by the fashion industry.
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The article above was edited by Beatriz Gatz.
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