Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The fashion industry consumes approximately 79 billion cubic meters of water annually
The textile industry is responsible for around 4% of all global freshwater withdrawal
Water consumption in the fashion industry is projected to increase by 50% by 2030
Producing one kilogram of cotton requires between 10,000 and 20,000 liters of water
It takes approximately 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton t-shirt
One pair of jeans takes about 7,500 to 10,000 liters of water to produce primarily in the cotton farming stage
Textile dyeing and finishing factories can use up to 200 tons of water for every ton of fabric produced
15% of the water used in textile manufacturing is for the bleaching process
Denim finishing including stone washing uses heavily treated water totaling roughly 70 liters per jean
Textile mills generate 20% of the world's industrial wastewater
80% of wastewater in developing countries where clothes are made is discharged untreated
Synthetic textiles contribute 35% of primary microplastics released into the oceans
Up to 40% of a garment's life-cycle water footprint occurs during the consumer use phase
A standard washing machine uses about 19 gallons (71 liters) of water per load
Washing a single load of polyester clothes can release 700,000 microplastic fibers into the water system
Agricultural Cultivation
- Producing one kilogram of cotton requires between 10,000 and 20,000 liters of water
- It takes approximately 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton t-shirt
- One pair of jeans takes about 7,500 to 10,000 liters of water to produce primarily in the cotton farming stage
- Cotton farming is responsible for the drying up of the Aral Sea due to water diversion
- Organic cotton has the potential to reduce water consumption by 91% compared to conventional cotton
- Rain-fed cotton reduces the blue water footprint nearly to zero compared to irrigated cotton
- 60% of global cotton is produced in irrigated fields putting stress on local water tables
- The production of viscose uses high volumes of water causing eucalyptus monocultures to deplete groundwater
- Growing hemp requires about 50% less water than growing cotton
- Wool production has a significant water footprint due to the irrigation of pasture lands for sheep
- Approximately 22,500 liters of water are required to produce one kg of raw cotton in India on average
- Producing polyester consumes less water than cotton but requires significant water for cooling in oil refining
- Flax (linen) cultivation requires no irrigation in the European climate making it water-efficient
- 69% of the water footprint of the textile industry is related to agricultural production of fibers
- Better Cotton Initiative farmers have reduced water use by 14% across participating regions
- In Pakistan cotton farming consumes 90% of the water used in the textile supply chain
- Man-made cellulosic fibers like Lyocell can use 20% less water than cotton cultivation
- Poor irrigation efficiency in cotton can lead towards 60% water loss before reaching the plant
- Leather production requires large amounts of water for raising livestock before tanning even begins
- Recycled cotton saves nearly 20,000 liters of water per kilogram compared to virgin cotton
Interpretation
Consider that making a single cotton t-shirt can swallow about 2,700 liters and a pair of jeans 7,500 to 10,000 liters, because cotton often demands 10,000 to 20,000 liters per kilogram, with India averaging about 22,500 liters, and with 60 percent of global cotton grown under irrigation and 69 percent of the textile sector’s water tied to fiber agriculture it has literally drained waterways like the Aral Sea; yet smarter choices such as organic cotton, which can reduce water use by 91 percent, rain fed cotton that nearly eliminates blue water footprints, hemp using roughly half the water of cotton, flax that needs virtually no irrigation in Europe, Lyocell that can cut water use by about 20 percent, or recycled cotton saving nearly 20,000 liters per kilogram can drastically shrink that footprint, even as polyester and viscose move impacts to oil refining cooling and eucalyptus-driven groundwater depletion, reminding us that every garment is a decision about water, not just wardrobe.
Consumer Lifecycle
- Up to 40% of a garment's life-cycle water footprint occurs during the consumer use phase
- A standard washing machine uses about 19 gallons (71 liters) of water per load
- Washing a single load of polyester clothes can release 700,000 microplastic fibers into the water system
- UK households use 360 million liters of water each week just for washing clothes
- Reducing washing temperature from 40°C to 30°C saves energy but water volume remains constant
- High-efficiency washing machines can save 14 gallons of water per load compared to traditional washers
- Over-washing jeans contributes to 37% of the total water used during the life of the jeans
- 25% of the carbon footprint of clothes comes from the water heating and cleaning habits of consumers
- Using liquid detergent instead of powder in specific water conditions can reduce rinsing water needs
- 9 million microfibers are released per 6kg wash load in a typical European washing machine
- Front-loading washing machines use 40% less water than top-loading machines
- Washing clothes less frequently could reduce the consumer water footprint by 50%
- Filters for washing machines can prevent up to 90% of microfibers from entering wastewater
- Hand washing wool garments uses significantly less water than machine cycles designated for delicates
- Dry cleaning involves toxic solvents that can contaminate groundwater if not legally disposed of
- The average household does 400 loads of laundry per year accumulating a mass water footprint
- Extending the life of a garment by 9 months reduces its water footprint by 20-30%
- 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent produced by fashion adds to climate change which dries water reserves
- Disposing of clothing in landfills creates leachate which contaminates groundwater
- Rental fashion models can increase water usage due to frequent high-intensity industrial laundering
Interpretation
If your wardrobe were a tap, fast fashion would be a fire hose: consumer washing can account for up to 40% of a garment's water footprint, single loads can release hundreds of thousands to millions of microfibers and waste gallons of water and energy, and only smarter habits—washing less, using high-efficiency front-loaders, microfiber filters, suitable detergents, and extending garment life—can staunch the flow of pollution, water loss, and carbon emissions.
Global Industry Volume
- The fashion industry consumes approximately 79 billion cubic meters of water annually
- The textile industry is responsible for around 4% of all global freshwater withdrawal
- Water consumption in the fashion industry is projected to increase by 50% by 2030
- The apparel industry is the second-largest consumer of water globally
- Current water usage in fashion is enough to fill 32 million Olympic-size swimming pools yearly
- Without changes, the industry's water consumption could reach 118 billion cubic meters by 2030
- The global volume of water used for textile production accounts for 93 billion cubic meters annually according to EMF
- The textile sector's blue water footprint is estimated at 8.75 billion cubic meters per year
- Fashion production makes up 10% of total global carbon emissions which is directly linked to water-intensive energy use
- China's textile industry alone discharges about 2.5 billion tons of wastewater annually
- Approximately 20% of global industrial water pollution comes from the treatment and dyeing of textiles
- The water footprint of the EU's textile consumption is about 366 cubic meters per person
- Textile production generates 4 billion tons of greenhouse gases often requiring water cooling systems
- Global textile production has more than doubled since 2000 driving water demand up exponentially
- 85% of the daily water needs of the entire population of India would be covered by the water used to grow cotton for textiles
- The cost of water mismanagement in fashion could cost the industry $63 billion by 2030
- 57% of all textile water consumption occurs in water-stressed regions
- Major fashion brands now face a 40% gap between water supply and demand by 2030
- The aggregate water footprint of textile consumption in Europe in 2020 was 4,000 million cubic metres
- 3% of the world's agricultural water use is attributed to cotton production for fashion
Interpretation
Gulping roughly 79 billion cubic meters of water each year, enough to fill 32 million Olympic-size pools and forecast to swell by 50 percent to 118 billion by 2030, fast fashion is turning the planet's most precious resource into a runway casualty, fueling polluted rivers, deepening scarcity in already water-stressed regions and threatening billions in economic and human costs.
Manufacturing Processes
- Textile dyeing and finishing factories can use up to 200 tons of water for every ton of fabric produced
- 15% of the water used in textile manufacturing is for the bleaching process
- Denim finishing including stone washing uses heavily treated water totaling roughly 70 liters per jean
- Use of air-dyeing technology can reduce water consumption in dyeing by up to 95%
- Approximately 100 to 150 liters of water are needed to process 1 kg of textile material
- Wet processing (dyeing and finishing) accounts for the largest direct water use in the factory tier
- Conventional textile printing uses 50-60 liters of water per meter of fabric
- Digital textile printing saves nearly 60% of water compared to conventional screen printing
- In Bangladesh the textile industry pumps 1,500 billion liters of groundwater annually causing water tables to drop
- Scouring of wool requires 5 to 10 liters of water per kg of wool
- Ozone finishing technology in denim reduces water consumption by up to 50% in the laundry stage
- Recycled polyester production creates 75% less CO2 but also reduces water usage by 90% in processing vs virgin polyester
- Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) systems recover 95% of water in textile processing plants
- Viscose production consumes 400-11,000 liters of water per kg of fiber during the pulping process
- Tanneries use roughly 300 liters of water for every kilogram of hide processed
- Mercerization of cotton requires nearly 45 liters of water per kg
- Laser technology for distressing jeans saves almost 100% of water used in the manual distressing process
- Foam dyeing processes can reduce water consumption by 50% compared to traditional wet dyeing
- It takes 44 trillion liters of water annually for the global textile industry's wet processing alone
- Solution dyeing of synthetic fibers reduces water use by 90% in the coloring phase
Interpretation
Fast fashion drinks the planet dry, consuming tens of trillions of liters for wet processing and draining groundwater in places like Bangladesh, even though proven fixes such as air dyeing, solution dyeing, laser distressing, recycled polyester and Zero Liquid Discharge could cut water use by up to 95% if adopted at scale.
Waste & Contamination
- Textile mills generate 20% of the world's industrial wastewater
- 80% of wastewater in developing countries where clothes are made is discharged untreated
- Synthetic textiles contribute 35% of primary microplastics released into the oceans
- Approximately 0.5 million tonnes of microfibers are released into ocean waters every year from washing synthetics
- Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of water globally
- 72 toxic chemicals have been identified in water bodies solely from textile dyeing
- In 2015 washing clothes released 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean equivalent to 50 billion plastic bottles
- Wastewater from textile plants contains high amounts of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) damaging aquatic life
- Azo dyes used in fast fashion break down into aromatic amines creating carcinogenic water pollution
- Citarum River in Indonesia is considered the most polluted river largely due to 400+ textile factories
- Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) persist in water and are endocrine disruptors found in fashion wastewater
- Heavy metals like lead and mercury are frequently found in wastewater from fast fashion tanneries
- Only 8% of the textile industry recycles its wastewater
- Microfibers have been found in the deepest parts of the ocean including the Mariana Trench
- The release of antimony in wastewater is common in polyester production
- PFAs (forever chemicals) used for water-resistance in clothes contaminate drinking water permanently
- Eutrophication of water bodies near textile hubs is caused by nitrates and phosphates in wastewater
- Sludge generated from treating textile wastewater creates secondary disposal pollution risks
- Microplastic accumulation in the food chain begins with zooplankton ingesting fashion-derived fibers
- 190,000 tons of textile microplastics enter the marine environment annually
Interpretation
Buying a cheap shirt shouldn't mean sentencing a river to a lifetime of poisons, but that's what fast fashion does—textile mills and dyehouses generate massive wastewater and carcinogens, PFAs, heavy metals and endocrine disruptors contaminate drinking water, synthetic fibers shed hundreds of thousands of tonnes of microplastics into oceans (even the Mariana Trench) and the food chain, 80% of wastewater in producing countries goes untreated and only 8% is recycled.
References
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