The Journey of a Discarded T-shirt: From the Global North to the Atacama Dumpsite

Abstract

Textile waste management is an increasingly urgent issue due to textile mass production and consumption, which leads to significant waste generation. Strategies for managing textile waste prioritise reuse and recycling over incineration and landfilling. However, reuse and recycling practices performed in the same territory where textiles are consumed remain limited. Instead, used textiles from high-income countries are often exported to the Global South and low- and middle-income countries, leading to numerous environmental impacts in these regions. This study examines the value chain of imported used textiles in the Tarapacá and Santiago Metropolitan Regions of Chile. The results help propose a new methodological framework for environmentally assessing used textile trade practices in importing countries. The study employs a rapid-ethnography and qualitative mixed-method approach, including interactive shadowing and observation, conducted across eight locations. The findings reveal that used textiles enter the country first via ports and then are distributed within importer companies and second-hand retailers. There are initiatives for reuse, recycling, and downcycling, but the findings show that not all imported used textiles are effectively utilized. A portion of used textiles ends up as waste in dumpsites, exacerbating environmental impacts. The study recommends a qualitative and quantitative mixed-method approach to address data gaps and develop more exhaustive studies in importing countries. Future research should focus on quality standards to improve sorting, exporting criteria, and traceability of used textiles. This will enhance trade flow accounting and mitigate environmental impacts in importing countries, especially those from unsorted and low-quality used textiles.