Dyeing for Fashion: RiverBlue Wakeup Call

Today we’re going to explore a documentary that reflects on United Nations Sustainability Goals (SDG's) and the role of fashion in them. The acclaimed documentary River Blue reflects on four of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Let’s break it down.

Before we get into the details, let’s talk about the case and what River Blue is. River Blue is a documentary directed by David McIlvride and Roger Williams, it was released in 2016. Cameras follow river conservationist Mark Angelo across Asia, Africa, and more to uncover devastating environmental and human costs of the global textile and fashion industries… especially fast fashion. River Blue exposes the environmental destruction happening around the world and ties in stories of many victims and laborers in poverty, health crises, and emergencies. It uncovers the need for responsible production, making it deeply relevant to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Today, we’ll focus on SDG 1, 3, 6 and 12. Let’s dive into what these are.

First up is SDG 1 – No poverty… which aims to end poverty, in all its forms, everywhere. Poverty basically means limited resources, poor health, and environmental challenges such as poor drinking water and pollution.

In the documentary, several impoverished villages and cities are irreparably damaged by pollution in the water, especially in countries where textile manufacturing is a primary type of employment like India or China. Bangladeshis rely on contaminated river water for drinking, washing, and farming due to lack of alternatives and suffer many cancers from it. Another example is factory workers earning menial wages that don’t cover living expenses. They are often exposed to hazardous chemicals with little to no protection or support.

Environmental degradation and economic hardship reinforce each other. Pollution reduces agricultural output, threatening health, starvation and thus trapping the community in poverty. The consequences of lost lives, poor health, and limited opportunities present as ongoing challenges in these communities.

Next on the agenda is SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being

We want to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all. This is what this goal covers… a broad range of health issues, including disease prevention, access to healthcare, and addressing environmental health risks.

The interviews with residents and health workers who report rising rates of skin diseases, cancers, and respiratory problems in communities near textile factories make it evident that this goal is not being followed through. Polluted water is a huge issue from these factories dumping directly into the drinking water resources like rivers. This isn’t just an environmental issue… this is a health crisis for them. The link between chemical waste exposure and health risk is clear; with unregulated dumping and poor wastewater treatment it leads to disease and suffering.

Third on the agenda is SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation. This ties directly into what I was just saying about dumping and not treating the water. Some of the rivers and lakes are so polluted they are corrosive and toxic to humans. Humans should have a fundamental right to clean drinking water for survival. This is the lowest section in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The documentary shows rivers once teeming with life that have been turned into foaming, chemical-laden poison like the Pearl River in China, which is now toxic, and in Bangladesh the pollution poisons and kills the fish, which starves the community.

Alrighty, last but not least. SDG 12, which is Responsible Consumption and Production. It seeks to encourage efficient resource use, reduced waste, and environmentally friendly practices along supply chains. River Blue is highly critical of the fast fashion industry for its environmental harm, including waste and pollution from mass production. The documentary then shows that sustainable alternatives are possible. It uses examples to show how irresponsible production and consumption create mass environmental and social harm. The root: consumer demand and irresponsible corporate practices. The consequences: pollution and resource depletion.

These SDGs are interconnected—water pollution harms health and poverty reduction while unsustainable production worsens environmental and social challenges. This documentary shows how responsible production benefits everyone through health, economy, and water quality, but then we also see how industrial growth and increased demand will increase pollution.

This is much more than a documentary about rivers; it’s a call to action. A very powerful documentary, River Blue connects all of the dots for us to see the urgent need to rethink how we consume and how we produce. We have systemic responsibilities, as consumers and as citizens.