Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The fashion industry is responsible for producing 20 percent of global wastewater
The textile industry uses approximately 93 billion cubic meters of water annually
Water consumption by the fashion industry is projected to increase by 50 percent by 2030
Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of water globally
Approximately 8000 synthetic chemicals are used to turn raw materials into textiles
200000 tons of dyes are lost to effluents every year during textile finishing
35 percent of all primary microplastics released into the environment come from laundering synthetic textiles
Approximately 500000 tons of microfibers are released into the ocean every year from washing clothes
A single wash load of polyester clothes can release 700000 microplastic fibers
Producing one kilogram of cotton requires between 10000 and 20000 liters of water largely due to inefficient irrigation
It takes about 2700 liters of water to make one cotton t-shirt which is what one person drinks in 900 days
Cotton farming is responsible for 16 percent of global insecticide use polluting groundwater
Processing leather involves the use of chromium which pollutes water and causes cancer in local populations
The tanning industry in Kanpur India dumps 50 million liters of toxic wastewater into the Ganges daily
Viscose production releases Carbon Disulphide into waterways causing high toxicity for aquatic life
Agriculture & Cotton
- Producing one kilogram of cotton requires between 10000 and 20000 liters of water largely due to inefficient irrigation
- It takes about 2700 liters of water to make one cotton t-shirt which is what one person drinks in 900 days
- Cotton farming is responsible for 16 percent of global insecticide use polluting groundwater
- The Aral Sea shrank to 10 percent of its original volume primarily due to water diversion for cotton farming
- 24 percent of the world's insecticides are used on cotton crops leading to severe chemical runoff
- Conventional cotton farming causes severe salinization of freshwater soil resulting in unusable groundwater
- In the Indus Delta water extraction for cotton has reduced river flow by 90 percent in dry seasons
- Fertilizer runoff from cotton fields creates dead zones in coastal waters due to eutrophication
- One pair of denim jeans requires between 7000 and 10000 liters of water to produce the cotton
- Organic cotton reduces water consumption by up to 91 percent compared to conventional cotton
- 57 percent of cotton is grown in areas with high or extreme water stress
- Runoff from cotton fields carries nitrates that contaminate drinking water sources for rural communities
- Cotton production accounts for 69 percent of the water footprint of the entire textile fibre market
- In Uzbekistan forced labor in cotton harvesting is directly linked to the state-mandated water-intensive irrigation systems
- 73 percent of global cotton harvest comes from irrigated land which drains local aquifers
- The Blue Water Footprint of cotton is 3600 liters per kg versus 1800 liters per kg for soy
- Pesticides from cotton have been found in groundwater wells in India at levels 50 times higher than safety limits
- Aldicarb a pesticide used on cotton is acutely toxic and has been detected in groundwater in 16 US states
- Cotton cultivation consumes 6 percent of practically all pesticides used globally
- Heavy irrigation for cotton in Australia has contributed to toxic algal blooms in the Murray-Darling basin
Interpretation
Fast fashion's cotton habit guzzles thousands of liters for a single tee or jeans, drains and salinizes aquifers, floods ecosystems and drinking water with pesticides and fertilizers, helped shrink seas and even fuels forced labor, whereas switching to organic cotton could cut that water and chemical wreckage dramatically.
Dyeing & Chemical Runoff
- Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of water globally
- Approximately 8000 synthetic chemicals are used to turn raw materials into textiles
- 200000 tons of dyes are lost to effluents every year during textile finishing
- 90 percent of wastewater in developing countries is discharged into rivers without treatment
- The Citarum River in Indonesia is considered one of the most polluted rivers in the world due to 200 textile factories lining its banks
- Azo dyes which release carcinogenic amines are still frequently found in fast fashion wastewater
- Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) banned in the EU are frequently detected in water discharges from Chinese textile plants
- 72 toxic chemicals have been identified in water samples from textile manufacturing zones in Bangladesh
- Heavy metals such as lead and mercury are common pollutants found in textile wastewater
- The pH levels of river water near Dhaka textile mills have been recorded as high as 12 due to alkaline discharge
- Only 44 percent of supplier facilities in the Higg Index database have proper wastewater treatment systems
- Wastewater from textile dyeing inhibits light penetration in water bodies affecting photosynthesis of aquatic plants
- Textile mills generate one-fifth of the world's industrial water pollution
- Chlorine bleaching processes in fashion release dioxins which are persistent organic pollutants in water
- Potassium dichromate used in dyeing is a known carcinogen toxic to aquatic life
- Formaldehyde often used for wrinkle-free finishes contaminates wastewater and is toxic to fish
- In Dhaka 60000 cubic meters of toxic waste from dyeing is dumped into waters every single day
- The dissolved oxygen level in rivers accepting textile effluent is often near zero killing all marine life
- Antimony a heavy metal used in polyester production leaches into wastewater during production
- Sulfide compounds in textile effluent can cause corrosion in sewage pipes and toxicity in water
Interpretation
Fast fashion is turning rivers into toxic runways: from Citarum to Dhaka, textile mills that generate a fifth of the world’s industrial water pollution pour thousands of synthetic chemicals and lost dyes into waterways, release banned or carcinogenic substances like azo amines, NPEs, potassium dichromate and dioxins, dump tens of thousands of cubic meters of toxic effluent daily, drive pH to extremes and dissolved oxygen to near zero, leach heavy metals such as lead, mercury and antimony, corrode infrastructure with sulfides, and do it largely without proper treatment while downstream communities and ecosystems pay the price.
Global Scale & Volume
- The fashion industry is responsible for producing 20 percent of global wastewater
- The textile industry uses approximately 93 billion cubic meters of water annually
- Water consumption by the fashion industry is projected to increase by 50 percent by 2030
- The amount of water used in fashion annually is enough to meet the consumption needs of five million people
- Textile production uses approximately 4 percent of global freshwater withdrawal
- By 2030 the global middle class will increase to 5.4 billion people significantly increasing demand for water-intensive clothing
- China’s textile industry discharges about 2.5 billion tons of wastewater annually
- The apparel industry's water consumption is expected to reach 118 billion cubic meters by 2030
- In 2015 the global fashion industry consumed 79 billion cubic meters of water
- 44 trillion liters of water are used annually for irrigation in the textile industry
- The textile industry is ranked as the third largest user of water globally after oil and paper
- Global textile production has almost doubled since 2000 causing a parallel rise in water usage
- Without intervention the fashion industry's water footprint could double by 2050
- 70 percent of China’s rivers and lakes are contaminated largely due to textile manufacturing
- The fashion industry competes directly with agriculture and local drinking needs for water in water-stressed regions
- The typical pair of jeans takes a water toll on the environment equivalent to hosing down a lawn for 9 hours
- In India the textile industry is the third largest consumer of water
- One kilogram of final cotton textile requires an average of 10000 to 20000 liters of water to produce
- Current water usage trends in fashion will contribute to severe water stress for 40% of the global population by 2030
- The Gap Inc. estimated its annual water withdrawal at 40 billion liters in a single year
Interpretation
Treating water like a disposable accessory, the fashion industry already produces 20 percent of the world’s wastewater and consumes roughly 93 billion cubic meters a year, a burden set to climb to about 118 billion by 2030 and possibly rise 50 percent, so that from one kilogram of cotton needing up to 20,000 liters to billions of tons of toxic discharge in China, clothes are being made at the expense of rivers, farms and drinking supplies and could push 40 percent of the global population into severe water stress.
Microplastics & Synthetics
- 35 percent of all primary microplastics released into the environment come from laundering synthetic textiles
- Approximately 500000 tons of microfibers are released into the ocean every year from washing clothes
- A single wash load of polyester clothes can release 700000 microplastic fibers
- 16 to 35 percent of global microplastics released to oceans are from synthetic textiles
- Microfibers from synthetic clothing have been found in the stomachs of fish in the deepest parts of the ocean
- Synthetic fibers like polyester are non-biodegradable and persist in water systems for centuries
- Wastewater treatment plants typically capture only 65 to 90 percent of microfibers allowing billions to pass through
- Microfibers absorb toxic chemicals in the water making them more lethal when ingested by aquatic life
- 22 million tons of microfibers will be added to the ocean between 2015 and 2050 at current rates
- It is estimated that 1.4 million trillion microfibers are currently in the ocean
- Acrylic fabrics release microfibers at a rate of 730000 per wash five times more than polyester-cotton blends
- 85 percent of human-made material found on shorelines is microfiber from textiles
- Microfibers have been detected in tap water globally with 83 percent of samples contaminated
- Fleece jackets shed an average of 1.7 grams of microfibers per wash
- Fast fashion's reliance on polyester has seen plastic fiber production triple since 2000 increasing shedding risks
- Microplastics from textiles inhibit the growth and reproduction of plankton the base of the aquatic food web
- Laundering represents the largest source of primary microplastics entering marine environments in Europe
- Up to 40 percent of microfibers entering wastewater treatment plants end up in sludge applied to farm land eventually running off into waterways
- Nylon fibers sink in water and accumulate in deep-sea sediments affecting benthic organisms
- The release of microfibers accounts for 85% of total shoreline debris worldwide
Interpretation
Fast fashion is literally laundering plastic into the planet: a single polyester wash can shed about 700,000 microfibers, billions slip through treatment plants into tap water, oceans and deep-sea sediments where these non-biodegradable fibers soak up toxins, harm plankton and marine life and even show up in fish and on shorelines, and with polyester production tripling since 2000 we are signing up for decades of escalating, invisible pollution.
Processing, Finishing & Leather
- Processing leather involves the use of chromium which pollutes water and causes cancer in local populations
- The tanning industry in Kanpur India dumps 50 million liters of toxic wastewater into the Ganges daily
- Viscose production releases Carbon Disulphide into waterways causing high toxicity for aquatic life
- The denim stone-washing process uses pumice stones that create sludge which clogs waterways
- Mercury used in the production of polyurethane (faux leather) contaminates water systems near factories
- Producing one kilogram of viscose consumes 1000 liters of water mostly in the chemical dissolving pulp phase
- 80 percent of leather sold globally is chrome-tanned creating toxic chromium IV liquid waste
- Leather production has a water footprint of 17000 liters per kg far higher than synthetic alternatives
- The finishing stage of textile production creates the highest Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) in wastewater
- Sandblasting jeans consumes high volumes of water to wash away silica dust sludge
- Wool scouring produces highly polluting effluent containing lanolin dirt and pesticides
- Bamboo fabric processing via the viscose method releases 50 percent of the hazardous chemicals used back into the water
- Desizing agents in textile processing account for 50 percent of the water pollution load in preparation stages
- Water used in leather tanning contains high levels of ammonium which causes oxygen depletion in rivers
- Mercerization of cotton uses sodium hydroxide which increases the salinity and pH of wastewater significantly
- Rayon and Modal production contributes to eutrophication of water bodies at a rate 2-3 times higher than cotton
- Bleaching textiles requires 60 to 100 liters of water per kg of fabric
- E-flow technology and ozone finishing can reduce water use in denim finishing by 95 percent but adoption is slow
- The Buriganga River in Bangladesh is biologically dead due to tannery and textile processing waste
- Scouring and bleaching generate 35% of the total wastewater volume in a textile plant
Interpretation
Fast fashion is literally washing our planet with poison, as chrome and mercury from tanneries and faux leathers, carbon disulfide from viscose, pumice and silica sludge from denim, and a cocktail of bleaches, desizers and alkalis gulp thousands of liters per kilogram—leather can use up to 17,000 liters and viscose about 1,000—while starving rivers of oxygen, killing aquatic life, making people sick and even leaving places like the Buriganga biologically dead, all while water-saving fixes that could cut denim use by 95 percent sit largely unused.
References
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