Many of these women work in poorly ventilated buildings with limited access to water and are frequently exposed to toxic chemicals.
Fast fashion has a huge environmental footprint both in terms of production and disposal. It requires a large amount of energy and (often non-renewable) resources to produce textiles, and it depends on toxic fabric dyes and other chemicals that contaminate fresh water. The speed this type of clothing is produced at means that more and more clothing is discarded too, which has lead to enormous amounts of textile waste. Not to mention the human cost. This quote from Sustainable Fashion Forum sums it up pretty well: Fast fashion is able to be “affordable” because it relies on the exploitation and mistreatment of mostly Black and Brown women in low-income countries like Bangladesh, India, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Many of these women work in poorly ventilated buildings with limited access to water and are frequently exposed to toxic chemicals.