Fixing Chile’s fashion graveyard

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Chile’s Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on earth – often likened to Mars. It’s also home to piles of dumped clothes from fast fashion labels across the world. Because it’s so dry nothing decomposes. And that means that clothes ditched 10 to 20 years ago still look recognisable. Sometimes the mountains of clothes are burnt causing toxic fumes which harm the local community of Alto Hospicio. This environmental crisis has been going on for years. It’s a complex situation with multiple players involved. But different groups are starting to take action. For Assignment, Jane Chambers travels to the Atacama Desert to meet activists and locals trying to raise awareness. An enormous giant – El Gigante Vestido – is being created in the desert out of used clothes to get people talking. We’ll hear if Chile’s authorities, businesses, activists and members of the local community are doing enough to make a significant difference to the clothes crisis. Producer: Jane Chambers Sound engineer: Neil Churchill Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison Editor: Penny Murphy (Photo: El Gigante Vestido, a huge replica of the Gigante de Tarapacá built out of used t-shirts by architects Andrés Echeverría and Victoria García to raise awareness of the clothes being dumped in the Atacama Desert. Credit: Andrés Díaz)