Water Usage with Fast Fashion - My Jeans Drink 900x the Amount that I Do!
Picture yourself on the hottest day of the year, thirst deep in your throat, sweat dripping down the side of your face. However, when you reach for a glass of water, you find that it's not there. Have you ever realized that your shorts and t-shirt could be taking away an ice-cold drink from your hands? Many consumers of popular fast fashion brands such as Shein, Urban Outfitters, and H&M – to name a few – don't often realize that their clothing consumes massive amounts of water.
The fashion industry is the second most water-intensive industry in the world, consuming around 79 billion cubic meters of water per year. Producing just one pair of jeans can consume up to 3,781 liters of water, while a cotton T-shirt consumes up to 2,700 liters. That many liters could supply a person with over 900 days of clean drinking water. If we simply cut back on excessive textile production, imagine how much change we’d be able to create.
Image Source: Tuayai/Getty Images
Not only does producing clothes consume immense amounts of water, but it also contaminates water sources on a local and global scale. Around 20% of industrial water pollution is produced by the textile process. Water pollution caused by the fabrication of clothes harms ecosystems, and can even cause health risks depending on the consumption and use of the water it contaminates. Although these issues are mostly present in countries that experience high poverty and have densely populated areas, such as China and India, they will still create a heavy global impact regardless of where they occur.
Image Source: apparelresources.com
Problems like this can seem daunting, but the average person can create change, little by little. Because producers are likely to listen to the people generating their profits, pressuring major corporations into changing production policies can minimize our pollution footprint. Although the most effective way to reduce textile wastewater is to avoid these companies altogether, there are businesses that can act as an alternative. A brand known as Recover focuses on using recycled textile waste to create cotton in order to combat non-sustainable cotton production. With this process, they save up to 14,740 liters of water per year, and at the same time, prevent wastewater production and the release of microfibers into the environment.
Companies such as this are setting the example for the industry to follow in the sustainable production of textiles. We as individuals can support this mission by consciously choosing these brands that sustainably produce cotton and other textiles. After all, your jeans have had enough to drink as it is!
Written by Alyx Sheridan
Alyx Sheridan is from the D.C. area. She gained interest in slow fashion through shopping at her local thrift store, and since then has been on a journey to learn more about the industry. Slow Fashion USA is her creative outlet, where she can explore this interest and hopefully inspire readers across the country.