In the textile and fashion industries across African countries, exposure to harmful chemicals is a shared risk — but it doesn’t affect everyone equally. Women and girls with disabilities may face heightened risks due to unsafe working conditions and disability-related needs that are often overlooked. Yet their experiences remain largely invisible in chemicals policy and research. Addressing these disparities requires an intersectional approach — one that considers how social categories like gender and disability interact to shape exposure and outcomes.
The textile and fashion industry is integral within economies, with a value of USD 1.3 trillion and employing over 300 million people along the value chain, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Significantly, global fiber production increased from around 112 million tonnes in 2021 to 116 million tonnes in 2022. In the last 20 years, global fiber production has almost doubled from 58 million tonnes in 2000 and is expected to grow to 147 million tonnes in 2030 if business continues as usual (Textile Exchange Report 2023).
While the dynamic market trends continue to evolve, there are research gaps on the consumption patterns and impact of the industry among women with disabilities within the textile and fashion industry that need to be explored. It is essential for industry stakeholders to integrate inclusivity of women with disabilities to realize a holistic business chain that addresses both the opportunities and challenges faced by women with disabilities within the industry.
The fashion industry’s intensive and unsafe use of chemicals, reliance on unsustainable agricultural, forestry, and livestock systems, and non-biodegradable plastic materials affects both planetary health (Public Eye Report 2024) and the livelihoods of women with disabilities, who most often lack the requisite information about the chemical composition of fabrics. Although improvement work and the phasing out of hazardous chemicals are ongoing, the work is far from done. From an environmental perspective, attention is currently often focused on climate parameters. While these are important, a more microscopic approach ought to focus on how the fashion industry catalyzes biodiversity loss, contributes to chemical pollution, and land degradation, which directly affects the socio-economic well-being of women with disabilities on one hand. On the other hand, UNESCO (2023) underlines that Africa can make greater use of local materials, innovate around sustainable textiles, and raise awareness of sustainable consumption patterns. Production of organic cotton fibre in Africa has already risen by 90% between 2019 and 2020 and now accounts for 7.3% of global production. Whereas the second-hand clothing market is one of the most dynamic in the world – representing a third of global imports – 40% of these garments end up in landfill sites, or even in oceans and rivers, affecting vulnerable communities that include women with disabilities.
The UNEP report Sustainability and Circularity in the Textile Value Chain: A Global Roadmap (2023) highlights that innovative brands and retailers are emerging as key players in advancing sustainability and circular business models in the fashion industry. Unlike conventional brands that must retrofit their systems to align with circularity, these businesses—such as rental and resale platforms, sustainable sourcing brands, and fibre-to-fibre recycling companies—are designed to prioritize sustainability from inception. However, to fully demonstrate environmental, social, and governance accountability, it is critical for these brands to establish inclusive impact measures and policies that address social and environmental concerns, including the disproportionate effects of chemical pollution on women with disabilities.
Besides, technical innovators and start-ups are driving change through solutions such as recycled fibre production, value chain traceability, and alternative production methods. What is more, the development of on-demand production models and reverse logistics solutions for reselling contributes to reducing waste and chemical emissions. These transformative solutions necessitate harmonized international policies that address chemical safety and accessibility for women with disabilities as integral industry stakeholders within the textile and fashion industry.
In conclusion, international frameworks that include the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, and the Minamata Convention on Mercury emphasize the need to protect vulnerable groups from exposure to hazardous substances. This underscores the urgency of establishing inclusive environmental standards. The integration of disability-mainstreamed policies into the textile and fashion industry will provide women with disabilities an equal opportunity to be part of the just transition to circularity.
By Nancy Marangu (Policy & Strategy Specialist, Chemichemi Foundation), Mariella Noto (Academy Director, ZDHC Foundation), and Catherine Kuria (Data Analyst, Chemichemi Foundation)
Through its work, the Gender & Chemicals Partnership (G&CP) seeks to highlight the importance of recognizing and integrating the lived realities of marginalized groups—such as women with disabilities—into chemicals-related decision-making. To fully understand and address the complex risks of chemical exposure, an intersectional approach is essential—one that takes into account overlapping social categories such as gender, disability, and socio-economic status. However, the persistent lack of disaggregated data remains a significant barrier, underscoring the urgent need for more inclusive research and monitoring systems. By promoting gender-responsive policies, research, knowledge-sharing, and training, the G&CP advocates for gender-responsive chemicals management that ensures no one is left behind—within the textile sector and beyond.