Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
Producing one cotton shirt requires approximately 2,700 liters of water
The textile industry is responsible for around 20% of global wastewater
It takes about 10,000 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of cotton
The fashion industry consumes an estimated 93 billion cubic meters of water annually
Dyeing and finishing in textiles can use up to 200 tons of water per ton of fabric
An average pair of jeans uses 7,500–10,000 liters of water from cotton production to finish
20% of industrial water pollution comes from textile dyeing and treatment
Around 95% of water used in textile production in China is discharged untreated
Cotton accounts for 69% of the water footprint of all textile fibers
China uses 3.2 trillion gallons of water annually for textile production
Brazil uses over 6 billion cubic meters of water annually for cotton cultivation
The average textile mill uses 100–200 liters of water for every kilogram of textile processed
Cotton farming represents 3% of global agricultural water use
Chemical Use and Toxicity
- Textile wastewater contains over 8000 synthetic chemicals
- Cotton uses 2.5% of the world’s arable land but 6% of pesticides and 16% of insecticides, indirectly increasing water pollution
- Around 20,000 different chemicals are used in textile production, many discharged into waterways
- Neon and Azo dyes used in textiles are not biodegradable and pollute water for decades
- 85% of sludge from textile wastewater contains hazardous materials
- Indigo dye contains heavy metal salts, increasing water toxicity
- Sludge from textile wastewater may contain carcinogenic aromatic amines
Interpretation
Behind fashion’s colorful facade lies a murky truth: the textile industry is dyeing to impress—with over 20,000 chemicals, toxic sludge, and pesticide-laced cotton, it’s turning clean water into a hazardous runway.
Water Consumption and Pollution
- Producing one cotton shirt requires approximately 2,700 liters of water
- The textile industry is responsible for around 20% of global wastewater
- It takes about 10,000 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of cotton
- The fashion industry consumes an estimated 93 billion cubic meters of water annually
- Dyeing and finishing in textiles can use up to 200 tons of water per ton of fabric
- An average pair of jeans uses 7,500–10,000 liters of water from cotton production to finish
- 20% of industrial water pollution comes from textile dyeing and treatment
- Around 95% of water used in textile production in China is discharged untreated
- Cotton accounts for 69% of the water footprint of all textile fibers
- China uses 3.2 trillion gallons of water annually for textile production
- Brazil uses over 6 billion cubic meters of water annually for cotton cultivation
- The average textile mill uses 100–200 liters of water for every kilogram of textile processed
- Cotton farming represents 3% of global agricultural water use
- More than 50% of textile water usage is in dyeing and finishing processes
- In India, the textile industry is the third-largest consumer of water
- Washing synthetic textiles releases 0.5 million tons of microfibers annually into oceans
- The Aral Sea lost 90% of its water largely due to cotton irrigation
- A single mill in China can use 200 tons of water per day
- Only 15% of water used in dyeing is actually absorbed by the fabric
- 1 kilogram of viscose fiber production uses about 1,000 liters of water
- Wool processing uses up to 170 liters of water per kilogram
- Polyester production has a lower water footprint but releases plastic microfibers into water systems
- About 200 liters of water are needed to dye one kilogram of clothing
- Up to 90% of water used in wet textile processing can be recycled with technology
- Textile wastewater has a pH up to 11, harmful to aquatic ecosystems
- China produces 54.6 billion tons of textile wastewater annually
- Bangladesh uses around 1,500 billion liters of water per year for textile wet processing
- The average Indian textile plant uses 1.6 million liters of water per day
- Pakistan’s textile industry contributes to 70% of its industrial liquid waste
- Synthetic dyeing consumes around 280 billion liters of water every year
- 17 to 20% of industrial freshwater pollution comes from textile dyeing and treatment
- Up to 95% of water in some dyeing processes ends up as effluent
- The denim finishing process uses up to 1,000 liters of water per pair of jeans
- Cotton grown in Pakistan consumes approximately 3,500 liters/kg of water on average
- 25–40 liters of water can be saved per garment with waterless denim processing
- Digital textile printing uses up to 95% less water than traditional methods
- On average, recycled cotton production uses 98% less water
- The dyeing process contributes to 30% of water use in garment production
- Indigo dyeing for denim contributes to 45% of its total water footprint
- Denim laundries in Bangladesh may discharge over 250,000 liters/day of polluted water
- It requires 8 liters of water to dye a single t-shirt using traditional methods
- Fashion accounts for 4% of global freshwater withdrawal
- 35 liters of water saved per piece by Levi’s Water<Less™ denim products
- Natural dyes reduce water pollution significantly but are less colorfast
- 22% of leather production water use comes from pre-tanning
- Jute fabric has a much lower water footprint than cotton, at around 1,000 liters/kg
- Linen production uses 6.4 liters of water per T-shirt, compared to 2,700 for cotton
- Hemp needs half the water that cotton does to produce the same yield
- Up to 93% of water can be saved by recycling textile wastewater
- Textile effluent BOD can be over 700 mg/l, harming aquatic oxygen supply
- Ultrafiltration membranes remove up to 98% of pollutants from textile wastewater
- In Vietnam, textile factories consume 20% of total industrial water demand
- Waterless dyeing can cut water use per garment by 90%
- One polyester shirt uses about 17 liters of water to produce, compared to 2,700 for cotton
- Colourfast testing in labs uses over 500 liters of water per garment batch
- Washing and rinsing processes use 2-5 times more water than actual dyeing
- Only 5% of global textile wastewater is estimated to be treated efficiently
- Turkey treats about 30% of textile wastewater
- 76% of textile firms lack proper wastewater treatment globally
- Reverse osmosis in textile treatment can recover over 90% water
- In Tunisia, textile accounts for 12% of industrial water consumption
- Chinese textile sector alone discharges over 2.5 billion tons of wastewater per year
- 60% of untreated textile wastewater in India is discharged into rivers
- 1 in 4 people will live in water-stressed regions by 2025, affected by textile water pollution
Interpretation
As fashion floods closets, it also floods rivers—with a single cotton shirt guzzling 2,700 liters while the industry stitches together 20% of global wastewater, proving our wardrobe has a bigger water footprint than our shower.