29/03/2024
5 Surprising Facts About
Sustainable Fashion
Did you know? The fashion industry is the second-largest polluter in the world, after the oil industry. Not only does producing clothing require tons of energy, water, and other resources, but it also results in tons of harmful waste. Itβs estimated that textiles make up 5% of all landfill space in the United States. That means the average American throws away more than 80 pounds of clothing every year!
Graphic with text: Did you know? Americans throw away 81 pounds of clothing a year
Clothing Reuse
Want to learn more about the impact of fashion on the environment? Here are some facts that may surprise you:
Fact #1: Our landfills are full of textile waste
According to the most recent EPA statistics, Americans created more than 16 million tons of textile waste in 2017. Of this total, 11 million tons ended up in landfills instead of being recycled or reused. While food trash takes only a few hours or days to decompose, clothing can sit in landfills for years. Synthetic fabrics like polyester, lycra, and nylon can take 30 to 40 years to break down fully. Thatβs a great reason to donate used clothing and purchase gently-owned items instead of buying brand-new from a traditional retailer!
Fact #2: It can take more than 700 gallons of water to make a single T-shirt
It takes a lot of water to grow, manufacture, transport, and wash cotton, which is one of the most popular fabrics used in todayβs clothing. Itβs estimated that producing one pound of cotton takes 1,320 gallons of water. That equals over 700 gallons for just one t-shirt! Extending the lifecycle of clothing, especially cotton clothing, can reduce your total water footprint and help protect the environment.
Fact #3: The average lifetime of a clothing item is about 3 years
Fast fashion is a term used to describe new styles of clothing that are manufactured quickly and sold at very low prices. While fast fashion makes clothing affordable for