Making clothes is thirsty work

Water is a precious resource. Without clean water we cannot survive but it is also needed for many other reasons including cooking washing and growing crops. Have you ever stopped to consider the impact of clothing and the natural fibres that it is made of, on the water supplies of the areas in which it is grown.

Cultivation of cotton for example accounts for 2.6% of the whole worlds annual water consumption. This may sound staggering but for just one t shirt to be made from conventional cotton 2700 litres of water are used and this does not include the water that may be polluted by the chemical pesticides used in the cultivation of cotton.

Organic cotton is grown without the use of chemical pesticides so prevents of water. Once fields used for conventional crops have transitioned to organic cotton, less water is required and in some areas the organic cotton crops do not need irrigation just rain water. Alternative fibres like bamboo, hemp and soy can also be grown with less irrigation than conventional cotton or no irrigation at all.

However, the greatest amount of water consumption in any clothes life cycle is caused by the washing of the garment. You can minimise the water used by buying a washing machine that is water efficient (when you need a new one). The natural antibacterial properties of bamboo clothing may allow it to be worn for slightly longer before it needs to be washed.

picture from www.funny-potatoe.com