As part of the Social Impact Design Fellowship 2026, this project examines how the closure of industries due to environmental violations affects contractual workers in Maharashtra and exposes gaps in existing labour and welfare systems. Drawing on research across four industrial clusters, the study highlights how workers displaced by factory closures often remain unaccounted for in official records and face barriers in accessing social security benefits. It describes this as a condition of “double invisibility”, where workers are overlooked both in official data and in welfare mechanisms that fail to address their needs following regulatory closures. These findings have been translated into a carousel post, using visual communication to make the complex links between environmental regulation, labour rights, and worker welfare more accessible. The project highlights the need for stronger coordination between environmental enforcement and labour protection systems to safeguard workers’ livelihoods.
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