Trillions of litres of water used to make all the clothes in UK wardrobes
JEANS are the worst “water offenders” of all the clothes in your wardrobe – using more than 18,000 litres per pair on average during the manufacturing process.
Of this amount, 16,390 litres is used in the early production stages – from the cotton cultivation through to fabric production.
While 1,441 is used when dyeing the yarn, 584 is used during the washing of the garment, and 110 litres is used during cutting, sewing, and printing.
The pan-European research revealed 35trillion litres of water – the equivalent to draining the River Thames fifteen times over – is needed to produce the combined number of clothes in UK wardrobes.
Eight European nations participated in the study, including the UK, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, and Poland.
And only 16% of those residing in the UK have thought about the water footprint of their clothes – lower than any other country polled.
To show how innovation can tackle fashion’s water footprint problem, global technology firm, Epson has collaborated with leading sustainability designer and authority on pattern, Patternity.
Together they created “Water Silks”, a collection of EcoVero silk scarves inspired by the rivers and canals of Europe’s style capitals, using the Monna Lisa printer.
Printing with digital printers that use pigment inks, can reduce water consumption in the colour printing stage of clothing production by up to 97%.
The sustainable collection was launched ahead of AW25 Fashion Weeks to turn the tide on wasteful water consumption.
Maria Eagling from Epson said: “Fashion is one of the world’s most influential and inspiring industries but as our research indicates, it also has a significant impact on our planet’s resources.
“With the upcoming fashion week season on the horizon, we see a real opportunity to drive meaningful change across the industry.
“We hope to inspire more brands to adopt our technology and lead the way towards a more sustainable future.”
The report found that the dyeing process for a jacket typically requires over 3,300 litres – almost half of the water needed to produce the garment.
A hoodie requires 14,364 litres of water in total to produce, and a humble t-shirt takes as much as 5,665.
In the UK, 25% consider themselves ‘environmentally conscious’, while 72% have felt concerned after learning of the impact each type of garment has on the planet.
And 57% believe fashion brands or stores should take the main responsibility for driving change.
Anna Murray, co-founder & creative director at Patternity, added: “Almost three-quarters of the Earth’s surface is covered by liquid, a fact that has fascinated us since our inception and which made this project all the more exciting to work on.
“’Water Silks’ celebrates the iconic waterways that define Europe’s fashion capitals – whether it’s the energy of London life along the Thames, the spiralling symbolism of the Seine, the vibrance of Milan’s canals, or the edgy energy of Berlin’s Spree.
“These designs highlight the connection between city life, natural resources, and fashion.
“By using Epson’s innovative printing technology, we minimised water usage and waste, demonstrating that bold, expressive fashion can be created with minimal environmental impact.”
Top 10 – average amount of water usage by item of clothing, in litres:
- Jeans – 18,528
- Hoodies – 14,364
- Sweaters – 13,933
- Shirts and blouses – 12,863
- Mid layers – 11,672
- Jackets – 7,678
- Trousers – 6,917
- Skirts – 6,517
- Coats – 5,906
- T-shirts – 5,665
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February 20, 2025 at 03:41PM
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Sam Walker