Fast fashion causes environmental devastation in Chile and Ghana

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) warns that the accelerating production and turnover of clothing are increasing waste, natural resource consumption, and pollution. Synthetic materials containing plastic and chemically intensive dyeing processes are identified as particularly problematic.

In Chile, the Atacama Desert has become a major landfill for discarded textiles. According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Chile imported approximately 126,000 tons of used textiles in 2021. An estimated 30,000 tons of textile waste have accumulated in the Alto Hospicio area near Iquique. Burning these synthetic fabrics releases harmful emissions, while their decomposition releases microplastic fibers into the environment.

In Ghana, the Kantamanto market in Accra serves as one of the world’s largest hubs for secondhand clothing, receiving millions of pieces of textile every week, primarily from Western nations.