Chile has formulated a new law extending the responsibility of cloths producers to clean waste, marking an earnest move toward eco-friendly industries.
According to this law, the clothing importers are accountable for fast fashion waste which has been an acute crisis in the recent days. The surface of the Atacama Desert is becoming full with textile wastes that are causing huge environmental loss. The new law aims to bring the clean surfaces of the Atacama Desert by imposing restrictions and regulations over the importers.
This is Chile’s fresh shift towards circular economy. Due to the call for protecting climate by the advocates, being momentous recently, The government took the initiative.
The volume of imports is gigantic with an estimated 123,000 tons of second-hand clothing each year. 90% of which ultimately ends up in illegal dumps scattered throughout the Atacama Desert.
This law states that importers must reports the volume of clothing brought to the country to the environment ministry .The volume imported defines the responsibility of the importers. The sole responsibility of textile clothing goes to the importers.
The government is working to introduce policy involving regulations encouraging repair, reuse, and recycling, and to abolish unregulated clothing dumpsites that often burn waste and pollute nearby communities.
Maisa Rojas, Chile’s environment minister, said that including textiles in the producer responsibility law would set clear obligations for producers, who would no longer be able to ignore the environmental impact of unused textiles.
There has been mounting pressure on the Atacama Desert as thousands of tons of wastes are dumped illegally and burned there. As a results, the local biodiversity suffers immeasurable damages.
The problem highlights the wider consequences of fast fashion—an industry driven by constant product turnover, synthetic fibers derived from fossil fuels, and international supply chains that often transfer the burden of waste to less wealthy countries. As global textile manufacturing continues to grow, so too will the volume of unmanaged waste, posing serious risks to both natural environments and the communities living near these dumping sites.
