The dark side of the global closet: Chile as the world's textile garbage dump.

April 17, 2025

🌍 Chile, the new dumping ground for world fashion: Are we prepared to face this textile crisis?

Did you know that Chile is one of the few Latin American countries that allows the massive entry of used clothing? In 2022, about 124 thousand tons of second-hand clothing entered the country, and more than 30 thousand tons ended up as textile garbage.

The Atacama Desert—the driest place on the planet—is also today one of the most contaminated by discarded clothing, covering more than 300 hectares. And we're not just talking about visual pollution: the illegal burning of textiles releases dioxins, heavy metals and microplastics that affect vulnerable communities in Alto Hospicio and surrounding areas.

📦 Why does this happen?

• Because the model of fast fashion produces cheap, disposable clothing.

• Because it is easier to import clothes than to invest in local solutions.

• Because our regulations still do not take care of this waste stream.

• Because the infrastructure for textile recycling simply does not exist.

💬 How long will we continue looking the other way?

• Should we ban or regulate more strongly the importation of used clothing?

• What role should the State, private companies and citizens play?

• Is it possible to transform this problem into an opportunity for textile innovation and the circular economy?

  
  

It's time to open the conversation. Because behind every discarded garment, there is an environmental, social and economic impact that we can no longer ignore.

👕♻️ What do you think? Accessible fashion at any cost or responsible consumption with a purpose.

#ModaSustentable #RopaUsada #CircularEconomy #FastFashion #Textiles #AtacamaDesert #ChileCircular #WasteManagement #ImpactoSocial #SustainableInnovation