Global textile waste colonialism: How fast fashion’s externalities devastate South American ecosystems and communities

Indigenous communities in the Atacama Desert, such as the Lickanantay, view the land as a sacred entity with intrinsic rights, not a dumping ground for global waste. Their traditional knowledge systems prioritise cyclical consumption, repair, and reciprocity with the earth, directly opposing the linear 'take-make-waste' model of fast fashion. However, their land rights are systematically violated by state and corporate interests that enable textile waste dumping. Indigenous-led resistance, such as the 2021 lawsuit against the Chilean government for environmental crimes, remains underreported in mainstream media.

The Atacama Desert has long been a site of resource extraction, from Spanish colonial silver mining to 20th-century copper exploitation, reflecting a pattern of colonial plunder. The current textile waste crisis mirrors historical 'waste colonialism,' where wealthy nations externalise environmental harms to poorer nations under the guise of aid or recycling. The 1987 Basel Convention aimed to curb such practices but was weakened by corporate lobbying, allowing wealthy nations to bypass restrictions. The fast fashion industry’s rise parallels earlier extractive booms, with similar patterns of boom-and-bust cycles leaving ecological and social devastation in their wake.

In West Africa, communities have long used 'upcycling' techniques to repurpose discarded textiles into art, clothing, and shelter, a practice now co-opted by global brands. The Japanese concept of 'mottainai'—a sense of regret over waste—offers a cultural framework for rethinking consumption, though it is often reduced to individual behaviour change rather than systemic critique. In India, the 'kabadiwala' system of informal waste pickers recycles up to 90% of urban waste, yet this model is threatened by corporate waste management schemes. These cross-cultural examples highlight the tension between indigenous circular economies and globalised linear systems.

Textile waste in landfills releases microplastics, heavy metals (e.g., lead, chromium), and synthetic dyes that contaminate soil and groundwater, with documented cases in the Atacama showing soil pH shifts and biodiversity loss. Studies estimate that washing synthetic clothing releases 500,000 tonnes of microfibres annually into the ocean, exacerbating marine pollution. The decomposition of synthetic fabrics can take 20-200 years, releasing methane and CO2, while natural fibres like cotton require excessive water and pesticides. Scientific consensus supports extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies to internalise these externalities.

Artists like Chilean photographer Alejandro Cartagena have documented the surreal landscapes of textile waste in the Atacama, framing the issue as a 'beautiful disaster' that exposes the absurdity of global capitalism. The surrealist movement’s critique of consumerism resonates with the Atacama’s 'ghost dunes'—sand dunes buried under textile waste—symbolising the burial of nature under capitalist excess. Indigenous Andean spiritual practices, such as the 'Ayni' principle of reciprocity, offer a counter-narrative to the extractive logic driving fast fashion. These artistic and spiritual perspectives challenge the dominant narrative of waste as an inevitable byproduct of progress.

Scenario modelling by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation predicts that if current trends continue, textile waste could account for 26% of global carbon emissions by 2050, with disproportionate impacts on the Global South. Alternative futures include circular fashion systems where 90% of garments are recycled or upcycled, but this requires policy interventions like EPR, bans on fast fashion exports, and investment in local recycling infrastructure. The 'degrowth' model, which prioritises well-being over GDP growth, offers a framework for reducing overproduction while addressing systemic inequities. Technological solutions, such as enzymatic textile recycling, remain unscaleable without regulatory pressure.

Waste pickers in the Atacama, many of whom are migrants from Bolivia and Peru, face toxic exposure, police harassment, and lack of healthcare, yet their labour is essential to informal recycling networks. Indigenous leaders like Cristina Dorador, a Chilean microbiologist and activist, have highlighted how textile waste dumping violates the rights of the Lickanantay people under international law. Women, who comprise 70% of the global textile workforce, bear the brunt of fast fashion’s externalities, from exploitative labour conditions to environmental pollution. Their perspectives are systematically excluded from policy discussions, which are dominated by corporate and state actors.