Did YOU

KNOW THAT?

Fashion is the third most polluting industry in the word. An estimated 400 billion square meters of textiles are produced annually, of which 60 billion square meters are left on the cutting room floor. Each year over 80 billion pieces of clothing are produced worldwide, and after its short lifespan, three out of four garments will end up in landfills or be incinerated. Only a quarter will be recycled.

WATER

Fashion is the second largest consumer and polluter of water because processing raw materials and manufacturing clothing consume extreme amounts of precious H2O.

While cotton, especially organic cotton, might seem like a smart choice, it can still take more than 5,000 gallons of water to manufacture just a T-shirt and a pair of jeans.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Synthetic fibers emits a large amount of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas, during manufacturing. The impact of one pound of nitrous oxide on global warming is almost 300 times that of the same amount of carbon dioxide, the most ubiquitous greenhouse gas.

*For every ton of polyester, manufacturers emit over five tons of carbon dioxide.

POLLUTION

When synthetic fibers such as polyester and nylon are disposed to landfills, these man-made fibers results in environmental drawbacks because they are essentially a type of plastic made from petroleum, they will take hundreds of years, if not a thousand, to biodegrade.

2,000 different chemicals, including formaldehyde, chlorine, lead, and mercury are used in textile processing. Of these, over 1,600 are used in dyeing processes, but only 16 are actually EPA-approved.

LAND

Chemical

Fossil fuel fabrics

Most fast fashion is actually made out of oil. Polyester, acrylic, nylon, spandex, and acetate are all made from nonrenewable fossil fuels , which require a bunch of energy to produce and emit gross stuff from the landfill.

The manufacturing process emits pollution into the air and waterways harming environmental and human health.