Most of us aren’t thinking about our drinking water when we go out to the store or browse clothing websites looking the perfect gift this holiday season. Clothing production however is a very resource intensive process – from the original materials to the disposal of our old items.
The fashion industry is said to use around 93 billion cubic meters of water per year. That’s the same amount that 5 million people could in that same time. Some of the heavy hitters in this process include material growing, fabric dying, and textile processing. In fact, it takes 700 gallons of water just to produce a single cotton shirt!1
The waste generated by the textile industry can also impact our water supply. Manufacturing processes introduce contaminated waste water that must be disposed of properly. Microfibers found in synthetic clothing can be washed out during daily laundering. Items returned to retailers often end up in a landfill because it costs more to the company to sell them than to get rid of them.
Ways to rethink your clothing habits
Fortunately, there are easy steps to change your clothing habits to become more water friendly.
- Keep a pile for usable donations and one for clothing recycling. Check with your local clothing re-sale stores – what do they do with items that can’t be sold? If the answer is “trash”, find other local stores or an online outlet that will take clothing that can’t be re-sold.
- Take better care of your clothing. Help your clothing last longer by air drying, removing stains immediately and washing by hand.
- Learn how to mend your clothes. Simple button repairs, hems, and patches can give your clothes new life and keep them out of the landfill.
- Shop second-hand. Reduce the demand for new clothing and help your pocket book too! In recent years the demand for local resale and online resale has grown and made shopping second-hand easier.
Next time you need a new look, chose one way to get started and help protect both our nation’s and your community drinking water resources.
