Fashion Victims. Textile Toxins in a Global Industry

Description

Social awareness may be the latest fashion trend as an increasing number of Western consumers demand eco-friendly products, created under worker-friendly conditions. But textile toxins that have been banned in Europe are still used in Asia, causing illness to garment workers before finding their way to retail outlets worldwide-and injuring human health at every point of the global distribution route. This program examines the prevalence of harmful chemicals in textiles, following a trail from sick retail consumers back to manufacturing centers in Shanghai, India, and Bangladesh, where rates of respiratory illness and cancer are on the rise. Speaking with toxicologists, health experts, and the workers themselves, the video delves into the unsafe practices used in the production of shoes, distressed jeans, and any garment dyed black, with an eye-opening segment on GMO cotton and allegedly organic fabric.

Runtime

52 min

Subjects

Genre

Date of Publication

[2012], c2011

Database

Films on Demand

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