This blog post was written by Lyndsay Amat, Kaitlyn De Sousa, Gwen Merry, and Annika Zworth.
WHEN advocates for all women, trans, cis, and Assigned Female at Birth (AFAB) individuals. For the purposes of this blog post, the term ‘women’ shall refer to those with ovarian reproductive systems and/or those who identify as women, recognizing that both sex and gender affect one’s vulnerability to the impacts of fast fashion.
We live in a fast world with even faster fashion trends. While the allure of affordable and stylish clothing is hard to resist, a troubling reality lies beneath this throw-away culture: the widespread use of toxic chemicals in garment production. To maximize profits, clothing companies from the Global North outsource production largely to countries within the Global South.
In garment factories, women from developing countries comprise 85% of the workforce. “Fast fashion is a feminist issue as it disproportionately disempowers women” says Teen Vogue’s Yasmin Ahram and Slow Factory Foundation. Not only are marginalized women exploited for their labour, but fast fashion also acts within existing patriarchal systems to capitalize on gender. According to Tully 2019, societal factors such as poverty and gender roles push women specifically into garment factories, thus exposing them to more health hazards, abuse, sexual harassment, unsafe work conditions and low wages. Factory owners take advantage of the unequal societal positions designated to women and use them to pay them less, demand more work, ignore their rights, and get away with physical and verbal abuse. Workers in the fashion industry face a disproportionate amount of health problems because of direct contact with chemicals used and indirect exposure from waste entering the environment.
Furthermore, these chemicals also impact the consumers who wear them. In what follows we will explore how common toxic substances that are used in the production of these garments, such as PFAS, heavy metals, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), not only pose significant health risks to consumers and factory workers but also wreak havoc on the environment.
Table 1.1 - Each (x) is a link to a source. The links can be accessed through the PDF file attached at the bottom of this page.
Health Impacts Explored
As demonstrated by Table 1.1 above, PFAS, VOCs and heavy metals have a variety of serious health impacts. All three can cause oxidative stress which can lead to cell and tissue damage. Long-term oxidative stress can contribute to cancer and other diseases. The impacts these chemicals have on neurotoxicity can manifest as dizziness and other cognitive impairments.
Exposure to these chemicals causes serious reproductive health issues. According to Hesperian Health Guides, acetone used in producing synthetic fibres has been linked to miscarriages, while lead and toluene, common in textile factories, are associated with impaired fetal cognitive function and an increased risk of birth defects. An estimated 80% of global workers in the garment industry are women, however the toxins workers are exposed to have particular effects on women. Heavy metals such as cadmium and lead are known to cause breast cancer. Furthermore, exposure to lead, mercury, manganese, and cadmium has been linked to infertility or indirectly causes infertility through another condition and unregulated hormonal changes. The main concern for women would be chemicals that act as endocrine disruptors (EDCs). Potential conditions and diseases caused by EDCs may include breast cancer, infertility, early puberty, miscarriage, premature birth, pre-eclampsia, menstrual irregularities, polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, shortened lactation, and early menopause.
Additionally, PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” are toxic throughout their lifecycle, from polluting the air workers breathe to contaminating water near factories. The pervasive use of these chemicals underscores the urgent need for safer, more sustainable practices in the clothing industry. Obtaining gender disaggregated data regarding chemical hotspots is uncommon. However, many studies show that there is a strong link between several diseases such as breast cancer and living near POPs and pesticide hot spots. Women are risking their health to produce large volumes of clothing for pennies. The most concerning aspect is that a significant portion of this clothing will be discarded as waste directly from the manufacturing process due to the insidious nature of consumerist trends supplying an assumed and immaterial demand. To learn more, keep an eye out for our piece on the impact fast fashion toxins have on health.
The Environmental Impact of Toxins in Fast Fashion
The presence of hazardous chemicals throughout the fast fashion supply chain also has a profound and damaging impact on the environment, its resources, and ecosystems. The unnecessary overproduction of clothing is a leading cause of climate change since it contributes to high levels of waste and resource depletion, and accounts for 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions.
Ded Mityay/Open Access Government
Throughout the manufacturing process, harmful substances such as lead and PFAS are used, which are non bio-degradable. The improper disposal of dyed textile waste and untreated wastewater contaminates water systems and bioaccumulates in aquatic organisms. Wastewater treatment plants cannot effectively remove these chemicals from industrial textile production wastewater. Crops grown in contaminated soil absorb these toxins, and these toxins make their way through the food chain, affecting the health of nearby communities.
The exposure of the environment to these toxins poisons the communities residing beyond factory walls, the majority of which are in low-income and marginalized regions. Water sources relied on for drinking, cooking, bathing, and growing crops are contaminated with chemicals that disrupt human health. It is estimated by Ecowatch that in China, which is the world’s largest producer of fast fashion, 70% of rivers and lakes are contaminated by wastewater produced by the textile industry. Even regions that do not produce fast fashion, but are impacted at the end of the fast fashion life cycle, deal with the negative impacts of textile waste in landfills. Landfills are overflowing with clothing that continue to leach chemicals and microplastics into the groundwater and soil, disproportionately affecting racialized and Indigenous communities who are more likely to live near waste sites due to environmental racism, which leaves these communities more exposed to environmental hazards. Women and children living near these sights suffer from chronic skin conditions and reproductive health issues, further perpetuating generational health disparities. Environmental racism can severely harm the health of the community, who already face many barriers to healthcare access, economic stability, safe housing, and political representation, further deepening systemic inequalities. The communities who are burdened with the toxic impact and waste from fast fashion are predominantly those who do not create the demand for it. To learn more, stay posted for our upcoming piece on the impact fast fashion toxins have on the environment.
What Can We Do?
The manufacturing and disposal of contaminated fast fashion garments exacerbates environmental and human health challenges. Shifting to sustainable practices is essential to protect ecosystems and our health, and ensure the responsible use of resources.
As Dayna Scott highlights, there is a difference between individual responsibility and corporate accountability in addressing the environmental damage that fast fashion creates. Corporations shift the burden onto consumers to avoid making systemic changes. While individual mindful choices are crucial, corporations have the power to drive meaningful, large-scale change.
Advocacy plays a crucial role in pushing corporations to adopt greater transparency and more sustainable practices, holding them accountable for their environmental and social impacts. As consumers, searching for sustainably produced slow, regulated clothing can be difficult due to the systemic lack of transparency around production or the comparably higher costs. Look for certain certifications such as OEKO-TEX® or bluesign® which indicate that the product has complied with product safety, ensuring limited substance use according to progressive regulations.
Recycling is an alternative, however, the low recycling rates do not negate the overwhelming production practices. Only 1% of discarded clothing is properly recycled, highlighting the urgent need for change. After all, the most sustainable place to shop is your own closet.