Fast Fashion Water Consumption Statistics

A T-shirt production is estimated to require about 2,720 liters of water [1]

A pair of jeans is estimated to require about 7,600 liters of water [2]

A sweater is estimated to require about 2,500 liters of water [3]

A hoodie is estimated to require about 2,000 liters of water [4]

A dress is estimated to require about 1,500 liters of water [5]

A shirt is estimated to require about 2,700 liters of water [6]

A bath towel is estimated to require about 2,700 liters of water [7]

A bed sheet is estimated to require about 1,200 liters of water [8]

A cotton T-shirt requires about 2,700 liters of water [9]

Textile dyeing and finishing can consume 10–100 m3 of water per ton of textiles [10]

Water withdrawal for dyeing and finishing is a major share of textile production water footprint [11]

The wet processing of textiles is estimated to use about 1.5–10 m3 of water per kg of fabric [12]

Conventional dyeing can require far higher liquor ratios, leading to higher water consumption per kg [13]

Fast fashion increases turnover and thus increases demand for water-intensive fibers like cotton [14]

A research review reports that textile wet processing can represent the majority of freshwater use for man-made fibers as well [15]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that the fashion industry uses a lot of water and relies on resource extraction, with water being a key environmental impact [16]

Textile sector consumes large amounts of water mainly through cotton, viscose, and dyeing stages [17]

According to OECD, textile manufacturing is a major contributor to freshwater use impacts in supply chains [18]

The production stage is estimated to use around 2,000 liters of water per person per year in the EU for textile-related consumption [19]

Water use for textile production has been estimated at 79% of total impacts for clothing when considering freshwater use across life cycle stages [20]

The global clothing consumption water footprint is estimated at about 79 billion m3/year [21]

Fashion clothing is responsible for an estimated 2,500 liters of water per person per year when considering the water footprint of clothing [22]

Textile manufacturing accounts for 20% of global industrial water pollution and 4% of global water withdrawals [23]

The average water footprint of clothing consumption in the EU is estimated around 1,000 m3 per capita per year [24]

Dyehouse discharge can include high chemical oxygen demand and color, contributing to high water quality impacts [25]

Textile wet processing effluent can have pH in a range often around 9–11 depending on dyeing/finishing [26]

Textile wastewater is estimated to be responsible for around 10% of global wastewater [27]

The textile sector accounts for about 20% of industrial water pollution [28]

Many wastewater treatment systems in textile clusters discharge untreated or partially treated effluent, increasing water impacts [29]

The fashion industry produces about 20% of global industrial wastewater [30]

When wastewater is not treated, dyeing and finishing chemicals remain in water bodies [31]

Wet processing is typically the largest driver of water-related impacts in textiles [32]

Microfiber shedding from synthetics is a water pollution concern linked to washing practices [33]

The average water footprint for a kg of cotton fabric has been estimated around 10,000 liters [34]

A life-cycle assessment indicates blue water accounts for a large portion of the water footprint of cotton garments [35]

The majority of the water footprint for cotton clothing is blue water (irrigation) in many cases [36]

Global cotton accounts for 2.4% of world agricultural land but uses about 7% of insecticides and 16% of pesticides, linking to water stress [37]

Water footprint of denim jeans is much higher than polyester alternatives due to cotton cultivation [38]

Textile reuse/recycling can reduce water and energy per unit garment compared with new production [39]

A shift to reuse/repair of clothing can reduce water footprints by lowering demand [40]

Proper washing at lower temperatures can reduce energy and potentially water; lower temperatures use less water per cycle [41]

Automated dosing can reduce water and chemical use by improving process control [42]

Recycled water systems can allow significant reductions of direct water withdrawal [43]

Using recycled polyester reduces water footprint relative to virgin polyester, with lower water requirements reported in assessments [44]

2.0% (textiles and apparel) of global final consumption is for repair/reuse, measuring the share of consumption types associated with textiles and apparel (latest available estimate year: 2022) [45]

38% of consumers report buying clothes for special occasions, measuring the percentage of surveyed consumers selecting “special occasions” as a primary clothing shopping motivation (survey year: 2019) [46]

60% of respondents say they buy clothing more than once per month, measuring the share of respondents in a consumer survey who report buying clothing more than monthly (survey year: 2019) [47]

46% of apparel purchases are returned, measuring the percentage return rate for apparel purchases (reference year: 2023) [48]

7% of global microplastic emissions come from synthetic textile fibers, measuring the share of emissions attributable to synthetic textiles (reference year: 2019) [49]

1.5 billion pairs of jeans are produced globally per year, measuring annual global production volume (reference year: 2020) [50]