(Check out WRI’s Aqueduct tool to see where cotton production and water risks intersect.) Cotton farming is also responsible for 24 percent of insecticides and 11 percent of pesticides despite using about 3 percent of the world’s arable land.
In Central Asia, for instance, the Aral Sea has nearly disappeared because cotton farmers draw excessively from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers. In areas already facing water stress, cotton production can be particularly damaging.
Cotton is also a very thirsty crop, requiring 2,700 liters of water-what one person drinks in two-and-a-half years-to make one cotton shirt. The average consumer is now purchasing 60 percent more items of clothing compared to 2000, but each garment is kept half as long.Ĭotton is the most common natural fiber used to make clothing, accounting for about 33 percent of all fibers found in textiles. The number of fashion seasons has increased from two a year – spring/summer and fall/winter – to as many as 50-100 microseasons.įast-changing trends and low prices have allowed people to consume more. Increased Production and Consumptionįast fashion uses innovative production and distribution models to dramatically shorten fashion cycles, sometimes getting a garment from the designer to the customer in a matter of a weeks instead of months. These visuals illustrate why the apparel industry must embrace a new approach to sustainably meet demand in tomorrow’s markets. Growth of the multi-trillion-dollar apparel industry has been fed by “fast fashion,” which makes clothing cheaply and quickly with a low price-tag. Roughly 20 pieces of clothing per person are manufactured each year.
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