How Thirsty Is the System Behind our Clothes?
The fashion industry is the third largest user of water globally—after oil and petroleum (1), so it’s safe to say our closets wouldn’t exist without the use of water. A vital aspect of all life. It is survival to crop irrigation, treatments, steaming processes, washing methods and other meticulous steps within the supply chain and has been expended excessively.
Conventional Cotton vs. Organic Cotton
What’s the difference between conventionally grown cotton and organic cotton? Is there one?
Over the last 30 years the Aral Sea’s water level has dropped severely, killing marine life, animals, and plants. Sourced from: Simurg Travel
YES. Essentially organic cotton is what conventional cotton is not—toxic and water intensive. As defined by Textile Exchange, “organic cotton farming does not allow the use of toxic chemicals or GMOS (genetically modified organisms)”. It is estimated that the industry currently uses around 79 billion cubic meters of water per year, which is 2% of all freshwater extraction globally and represents more than 1/10 of the water used by all types of industry (1). Reducing the use of 71% of water by switching from conventional cotton farming to organic, contributes a major positive impact to our current consumption (3). If we continue on current trend, the amount of water consumed is set to double by 2030 and as of today the Aral Sea in Central Asia has shrunk to just 10% of its former volume largely due to irrigation for cotton farming (1).
The restorative opportunities of practicing organic cotton has measurable benefits for the environment, local community, farmer and conscious consumer. Commissioned by the Life Cycle Assessment (3), the potential savings compared to conventional farming methods include:
Global Warming = 46% savings
Reduced agricultural inputs (mineral fertilizer, pesticides, tractor operations and irrigation)
Acidification and Land and Water = 70% savings
Reduced field emissions from fertilizer and reduced energy use
Over Fertilization = 26% savings
Reduced nitrogen and phosphorous deposit into water, and increased soil protection measures in organic methods preventing soil erosion
Water Consumption = 91% savings
Less irrigation
Energy Use = 62% savings
Savings from production of fertilizer and less energy used
The use of additives like fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides toxify waterways, soil, air and human health. When we are aware of the impact one decision has on all sources of life, then are we able to honor sustainability. For the purpose of visualization of industry savings, here is a snapshot of what the above mean in our day-to-day lives (based on what farmers had to say in 2015):
218 billion liters of water saved = 87,201 Olympic sized pools
288.7 million kilowatts of energy = 1 60w bulb on for 549,314 years
92.5 million kg CO 2 = driving an average car around the world 13,572 times (3).
It's claimed that the garment industry is the second worst polluter in the world. Stacey Dooley investigates.
Overall, the water pollution impact of organic farming has been proven to be 98% less than non-organic production (5). With that, there is something to be said about what we can learn from the people who are behind the production of our clothes. Farmer’s testimonials have contextualized the value of sustainable methods and in Andrew Morgan’s The True Cost, one daughter’s father within a garment production community had something to say as well.
Chromium-6 — What is it?
Kanpur, India, the leather export of India and home to one man’s (who chose to remain anonymous) testimony on the ailments water pollution has had on his family and community. “My daughter is suffering from Jaundice. Every year, people in other houses in this region suffer from this illness. Even my wife has Jaundice. All our savings are used to treat the diseases, because the chromium that’s in the water attacks the liver directly… and many people get jaundice or liver cancer if not able to take precautions” (4). The chemical referred to here is known as Chromium-6, a heavy toxin used to treat leather which directly impacts dermal and liver diseases and/or cancers that the local community suffers.
The exposure to the leather tannering industry is residual contaminating soil, drinking water, and ground water. This type of water contamination ends up impacting farm life, marine life and domestic life, with little consideration of the 2 billion people around the world already living in water-stressed areas (1).
In Dhaka, Bangladesh, the world’s number two garment exporter housing 4,000 garment factories and 4.4 million workers, the economic benefits of global demand have come to outweigh the environmental consequences. Every year it takes 1,500 billion liters of water to dye and wash clothes for the garment industry (6) and a single textile mill is estimated to use 200 tons of fresh water per ton of dyed fabric (1). The excessive consumption has resulted in a 2.5% drop in water level in Dhaka and pollution of fresh waterways. “Turag that flows by Tongi is almost dead with pollution. Its water looks ink black and gives out such foul smell” (6). The pollution has gotten so bad, that the freshwater is no longer considered safe for livestock—let alone the people—and is impacting the livelihood of farmers and fishermen reliant (7).
So What Can We Do?
In the presence of unfortune is the opportunity for aid, and today the industry is seeing various brands, organizations and suppliers unite to offer innovative solutions for the greater system to adopt. By committing to source only certified organic cotton it reduces the use of synthetic pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers. It conserves energy, lowering the carbon footprint of the brand and the consumer who chooses to shop with them. Making the switch to using more sustainable textiles like wool and recycled materials are renewable, natural fibers that increase the yield of the product and its resources (7). Collectively, we need to raise awareness and an understanding of the decision’s brands can make to aid climate change, inviting the customer to be more conscious.
At Home
Source: Fashion Revolution
According The Guardian, 40% of water footprints stem from laundry. In committing to reducing our individual impact, we must first recognize the sources of our greatest consumption. Aware of the complexity of the fashion industry and devoted to making sustainable fashion an easy choice, Good On You—the ethical rating app—has offered nine simply ways to clean up your path.
Wash less – Use less, save more
Read Care Instructions — Our clothes may not even be machine wash or tumble dry friendly. If so, the natural route is better for the quality and planet
Remove Stains before Washing—may reduce the need of having to wash it at all
Be careful of Machine Washing—Some machines may be too strong for your clothing material, make sure your clothes can sustain first
Drying in the Sun or Shade—the natural way goes a long way
Losing Shape—Sometimes hanging cloths on a line can alter its shape, opt in to lay special garments flat instead
Be Careful of the Dryer—Back to ‘reading care instructions’, high temperatures can change the fit
Ironing—Ironing can stress and fade the material. Use a lower temperature when necessary and iron in reverse
Hung or Folded—Invest in quality hangers and consider the material first before deciding if it should be hung or folded. This can greatly reduce the need for step 8
Brought by Dhana Inc.
Here’s a bit more on the role water plays in the fashion industry:
It takes 3 years’ worth of drinking water to make a cotton t-shirt using conventional manufacturing practices (News Deeply).
Americans use approximately 80-100 gallons of water each day…washing a load of clothes takes 25 gallons or more (Energy.gov)
Gap was forced to but its profit forecast by 22% after drought cut into cotton crop in Texas (The Guardian)
Only 2.5% of the Earth’s water is freshwater and only 0.3% is accessible to humans (7).
It takes on average 10,000 liters of water to cultivate just 1 kilogram of raw cotton, the martial used in a third of textile produced globally and which represents 90% of all-natural fibers used (1).
Conventional textile dyeing and finishing raw fiber – estimated that processing (spinning, dyeing and finishing) a kilogram of fiber (not just cotton) requires 100 to 150 liters of water (1).
Around half of cotton production requires additional irritation – can add to the stress of local water supply (1).
Industry currently uses enough water to quench the thirst of 110 million people for an entire year (2)
1 cotton t-shirt to produce = 3,000 liters of water (5)
Information and statistics from:
2. 2017 Pulse of the Fashion Industry Report
7. Good On You