How much water does a t-shirt consume? 2700 liters

    How much water does a t-shirt consume? 2700 liters

    We have learned to turn off the tap while brushing our teeth or shaving, to prefer the shower to the bath, to limit the consumption of the toilet flush, but ... do we know how much water our t-shirts consume? Yes, you got it right, a t-shirt: according to the study How much water we exploit, conducted by SERI - Sustainable Europe Research Institute for Friends of the Earth-Friends of the Earth Europe, a single t-shirt consumes, throughout its production process, 2700 liters of water.



    He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

    We have learned to turn off the tap while washing teeth or do the beard, to prefer the shower to the bathtub, to limit the consumption of toilet flush, but… we know how much water does one of our t-shirts consume? Yes, you got it right, a shirt: according to the study "How much water do we exploit", conducted by SERI - Sustainable Europe Research Institute for Friends of the Earth-Friends of the Earth Europe one t-shirt consumes, throughout its production process, well 2700 liters of water.



    The research analyzes, in fact, the consumption of one of the most precious commodities in the field of raw materials that we use every day. One waste which heavily affects the distribution of water throughout the planet and must therefore be reduced by following plans efficiency specifically designed for each sector.

    Quarrying, processing e business are the production phases that unite different materials including, as we said, the cotton that makes up ours t-shirt. The journey of this raw material from the producer to the shop is in fact very long and studded with a water waste incredible: from harvesting in the fields to processing, which includes delicate processes such as carding, spinning, weaving and bleaching, the average amount of water needed to obtain 1kg of fabric final is equal to 11.000 liters of water.

    Water which, considering only the composition of the cotton plant, comes fromirrigation of the fields (45%), from pioggia evaporated during the growth of the plant (41%) and by the procedures related to waters wastewater due to the use of fertilizers and chemicals. Cotton is in fact a monoculture and requires large quantities of water (rain or artificial) which is then polluted by cultivation methods that are anything but natural. The problem then concerns the fact that the factories processing, transferred mostly in developing countries of Asia, they use processes with a high environmental impact, with a big waste of energy, a lot pollution and social standards that leave much to be desired. Suffice it to think, for this last point, that in Dhakha (Bangladesh) the workers who produce an average of 250 T-shirts per hour are paid as soon as 42 per month.



    But water waste they are not just about t-shirts: the same goes for the coffee (for a cup you need 140 liters) or some Red meat (1 thousand are needed for 16kg of amnzo). And also theEurope plays its sad role in this abuse, coming to have the fourth per capita consumption of water worldwide with an average of 4750 liters of water per day (direct and indirect use), compared to 3350 for Africans. Inequalities which, if not resolved, risk fueling armed conflicts and accelerating the exhaustion of this precious source of life.

    So what to do in our small way? Prefer T-shirts made with organic cotton, which does not provide for the use of pollutants for its cultivation, and manufactured in countries that comply with minimum environmental and social standards, guaranteeing greater respect for the environment and workers, could be good solutions. For the rest, we continue to contain our daily water consumption with small and simple tricks and, once our cotton sweaters are worn, let's recycle them creatively. At least the water used for their production will serve twice and will give life to new objects!



    Eleonora Cresci

     

    Read "How to transform an old T-Shirt into an original DIY bikini" e "How to transform an old T-shirt into a trendy top with creative recycling".

    Read also i 25 ways to save water at home and in the garden.

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