How many litres of water are required to produce one kilogram of cotton? What is the fast fashion environmental impact when such massive quantities of virgin resources are used in this way ? The answer – it takes 10,000 litre of water to grow 1kg of cotton !
If we just look at water usage in one country – India – the water consumed to grow India’s cotton exports would be enough to supply 85% of the country’s 1.24 billion people with 100 litres of water every day for a year. Meanwhile, more than 100 million people in India do not have access to safe water. However, cotton doesn’t usually consume this much water. The global average water footprint for 1kg of cotton is 10,000 litres. Even with irrigation, US cotton uses just 8,000 litres per kg. India’s far higher water footprint for cotton is due to inefficient water use and high rates of water pollution, about 50% of all pesticides used in the country are in cotton production.
So what can we do to help the environment and work towards a sustainable economy? Well, we can donate our clothing to charity shops where they are resold or in many circumstances recycled; unsold stock is collected by companies such as Choice Textile ltd. And reused in other markets or fully recycled. It’s a win – win for charities and our precious environment.
