Canva
A growing mountain of discarded clothes has reached such immense proportions it can now be seen from space.
The Atacama Desert of northern Chile has become a dumping spot for the estimated 92 million tons of waste produced by the high fashion industry.
The mountain of clothing is said to include everything from ski boots to unwanted Christmas sweaters.
Business Insider reports that according to Agence France-Presse. the discarded and unwanted clothes, manufactured in Bangladesh or China and sent to retail stores in the US, Europe, and Asia — are brought to Chile when they aren't sold.
Last month, the satellite imagery app SkyFi uploaded a 20-inch (50 centimeters) resolution image showing how large the clothes mountain has grown in comparison to a nearby city.
The shocking images can be viewed on their social media platform.
Now this clothing has been reused for the thermal insulation of houses.#FastFashion#AtacamaDesert pic.twitter.com/1AqEAjMl9S
— Marcelo Nuñez ???? (@marceloaunu) July 19, 2023
The pile is said to be growing by about 39,000 tons a year. Fast fashion has shamefully become one of the world's biggest environmental problems.
Ethical Hour, a UK sustainability non-profit is working at encouraging ethical shopping within the industry.
It's thought-provoking material.
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