I saw something called a clothes graveyard.

As I mentioned before, the SDGs were often a topic of discussion in the fashion industry where I worked as a businessman.

The term SDGs has already started to take root in Japan, and the media has begun to celebrate SDGs Week, with many programs and articles featuring SDG initiatives , making it something we see and hear about very often.

This month, a TV channel will be broadcasting a special program titled "Let's do it together, SDGs Day."

Personally, I think it's a good thing to have people think about the Earth we live on and the environment we live in, and to see and hear things that make their minds go out to them, even if just for a moment.

As a preview of the "Let's do it together SDGs Day" special, a feature was recently featured on "Crazy Journey" (a TBS program).

"Crazy Journey" sometimes features various scenes that we rarely see, and there is a series of amazing scenes, and the other day, one of the episodes in the series was themed around garbage.

The series featured South America, Asia, and Africa (maybe those are the top three places with the worst garbage problems in the world?), and as the series name suggests, I was astonished.

It was all a staggering sight, but for us who are just a part of the fashion industry, the "clothing graveyard" in the desert of Chile, South America, was so spectacular that it took our breath away even when we watched it on a monitor.

Chile is characterized by its vast desert and bountiful sea, and it seems that many tourists visit because of its natural beauty and the wide range of activities that make use of the terrain. However, due to the national policy of not imposing import taxes, a huge amount of clothing is sent from all over the world, and the amount is so large that some of the clothing no longer functions as clothing (it is equivalent to garbage). This becomes garbage, and businesses have no idea where to put it, so it gets lost and dumps in the desert, creating a negative cycle.

Perhaps it could be called a city where second-hand clothes gather? The city is overflowing with second-hand clothes everywhere, and in warehouses, unwanted clothes are compressed into tight cubes. There are also many trucks driving around loaded with them.

Between the sea and the desert there is a thriving city called Iquique. From there, towards the desert, in a secluded spot, deep inside, in the middle of the desert, there is a "clothes graveyard."

When we arrived at the "Clothing Graveyard" and found a place where the fire was burning extremely violently, a reporter reporting on the scene said, "I've seen a lot of clothes made of materials like polyester being thrown away (while reporting on the scene), so if this (the burning part) is made of polyester, then this is extremely dangerous, as it is a toxic gas. (Looking at the flames and smoke burning extremely violently) There's no way this smoke isn't harmful to the body."

The "clothes graveyard" was filled with remains of what appeared to have been burned clothes as far as the eye could see.

There are many scenes of such wreckage scattered throughout the desert.

As the correspondent said, I live in Japan, far from Chile, but I feel like I'm not completely unrelated to the situation.

Sadly, in one scene, the pants that the correspondent picked up from the "clothes graveyard" were from the brand of the company where he used to work.

As a member of the fashion industry, I felt that I needed to create products that would not end up as waste and that customers could enjoy and be happy with.

The extent of what I can do may be very small, but it is true, I can only do what I can.

But it's definitely better to be aware than not to be aware.

I had seen a similar scene before in photos featured in the media, but this time it still took me by surprise and I was very shocked.

The sight I saw was so shocking that I will never forget it.

Silk is the best! Love Silk

Silk maniac

R