Fast Fashion effects now visible from space

New season, new styles, buy more, buy cheap, move on, throw away: the pollution, waste, and emissions of fast fashion are fueling the triple planetary crisis. Sustainable fashion and circularity in the textiles value chain are possible, yet this century the world’s consumers are buying more clothes and wearing them for less time than ever before, discarding garments as fast as trends shift.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is spearheading an initiative towards a zero waste world.

As part of this ambitious outlook, UNEP has partnered with Kenyan spoken word poet Beatrice Kariuki to shed light on high-impact sectors where consumers can make a real difference.



Chile’s Atacama Desert has become a dumping ground for unworn clothes that couldn’t be sold. A mountain of fast fashion in the Chilean desert can be seen from space. The shocking landfill site has grown slowly grown over time.

Chile’s Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth. It receives less than 1mm of rain a year each year, but some parts of it haven’t had a drop in more than 500 years. But it is now a dumping ground for unworn clothes that couldn’t be sold.

High-resolution satellite images, captured by the photo app, Skyfi, reveal the horrifying extent of the dumpsite.

“The size of the pile and the pollution it’s causing is visible from space, making it clear that there is a need for change in the fashion industry.”

The fast-fashion market size is said to be increasing from $106.42bn to $122.98bn in 2023, according to a report by The Business Research Company.