Water & Clothing — The Conscious Challenge (2024)

Εveryday we are trying to be conscious of our water consumption. We take shorter showers, close the tap when brushing our teeth etc. But what do we all have in our houses that consumes a 900 days worth of drinking water?

That will be you favorite cotton T-Shirt.

And that’s a lot of water; 2,700 liters to be exact.

It may be a shock to you right?

The fashion industry is a massive consumer and polluter of our fresh water. And one of the biggest culprits is cotton.

Consumption

To produce just one cotton shirt requires approximately three thousand liters of water.

Textiles production (including cotton farming) uses around 93 billion cubic meters of water annually, representing 4% of global freshwater withdrawal.

Beyond production, washing clothing using washing machines is estimated to require an additional 20 billion cubic meters of water per year globally.

Clothing accounts for over two thirds of this water use. At present, many of the key cotton-producing countries are under high water stress, including China, India, the US, Pakistan, and Turkey. In China, 80% to 90% of fabric, yarn, and plastic-based fibers are made in water-scarce or water-stressed regions.

Pollution

Vibrant colours, prints and fabric finishes are appealing features of fashion garments, but many of these are achieved with toxic chemicals. Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of clean water globally, after agriculture.

Manufacturing in the apparel industry also contributes to the water footprint of fashion. It’s estimated that around 20% of industrial water pollution in the world comes from the treatment and dyeing of textiles, and about 8,000 synthetic chemicals are used to turn raw materials into textiles.

Each year, textile companies discharge millions of gallons of chemically infected water into our waterways. It’s estimated that a single mill can use 200 tons of fresh water per ton of dyed fabric. So not only does this consume water, but the chemicals pollute the water causing both environmental damage and diseases throughout developing communities.

In India and Bangladesh, dye wastewater is discharged, often untreated, into nearby rivers eventually spreading into the sea. Reports show a dramatic rise of diseases in these regions due to the use of highly toxic chrome. In China, the world’s largest clothes exporter, the State’s Environmental Protection Administration declared that nearly one third of the countries’ rivers are classified as “too polluted for any direct human contact”.

The toxic chemical use in agriculture for growing cotton have devastating effects. The cotton grown worldwide is genetically modified in order to resist bollworm pest, thereby improving yield and reducing pesticide use. But this can also lead to problems further down the line, such as the emergence of “superweeds” which are resistant to standard pesticides. They often need to be treated with more toxic pesticides that are harmful to livestock and humans.

Some interesting facts

• 85 percent – The percentage of water used in textile processing that goes into dying the fabrics, which, in many cases, leads to run off, thereby polluting nearby water sources. (Cotton, Inc.)

• 3250 liters – How much water it takes to produce the cotton needed for one t-shirt – that is almost three years’ worth of drinking water. (WWF).

• 8183 liters – The gallons of water to grow enough cotton to produce just one pair jeans. (Tree Hugger).

• 113 billion liters –The water required for one year’s worth of global textile production (including cotton farming). (Elle MacArthur Foundation).

• 5.9 trillion liters – The amount of water used each year for fabric dyeing alone. (World Resources Institute).

Solutions

Buying clothes and choosing brands is an individual's choice. Therefore. each of us has the power to go towards more sustainable and conscious choices. What are the things we can change in our outfits to reach this goal?

There is something we can do

By taking care of the clothes or buying good quality, we can extend their lifespan. Did you know that if we extend the life cycle of our garments (especially our cotton garments) by nine months, we can reduce the water footprint of our clothing by about 5-10%? It’s not a huge amount, but it is a case for buying less, buying well and making it last!

Another great way to reduce your water impact is to buy only certified organic cotton. It’s grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers, which means you won’t be contributing to water pollution. However, it does still use a vast amount of water to grow the crop, so you’ll want to make it last as long as possible.

Choose eco-friendly alternative textiles

Lyocell
Lyocell is a cellulose made from wood (usually Eucalyptus). The wood grows on a limited amount of land, and it does not require much watering, pesticides and insecticides. Also, the non-toxic solvent is re-used indefinitely in a closed-loop manufacturing process. However, it is a man-made fibre and the harvest demands a lot of energy and manpower.

Bamboo
Bamboo is quite like Lyocell, with the difference that it is made from grass (yes, Bamboo is grass) and the growth of the plant is achieved without any watering, pesticides, or insecticides. It also limits soil erosion and improves the fertility of the soil. In addition, the solvent needed is non-toxic and used in a closed-loop process.

Alternative fiber sources are another great alternative to the thirsty cotton crop. Brands using raw, natural, renewable or recycled materials are on the rise. These materials include flax, monocel (a form of bamboo material that uses less water and toxic chemicals), linen and recycled polyester. Seek out brands that use waterless dyeing and low-impact dyes if you can, as they help reduce the pollution of waterways.