#WaterIs Fashion
To illustrate the role of water in the fashion industry, students at the Master des Métiers de la Mode et du Textile Marseille are arranging a World Water Day Evening Event in Marseille on Friday the 20th. The event will be kicked off with discussions on the problematic relationship between fashion and water, featuring a number of invited speakers. In the end there will be a design show where artists, graphic designers and illustrators have been requested to create designs and logos for World Water Day.
In the fashion supply chain, cotton production accounts for most of the water use, as it is often located in dry areas such as the southern US, India, Mali and the Aral Lake area. To produce a pair of jeans 10 000 liters of water is required! Fashion manufacturing accounts for about a fifth of the industrial wastewater pollution, discharging a cocktail of an estimated 8000 synthetic chemicals into the surrounding waters, many times untreated. On the other side of the counter, laundry accounts for 40 % of the household water consumption and a significant share of the total phosphate load in wastewater receiving waters.
Positive are that water-saving technology is available, and that using less water often results in lower usage of energy and chemicals as well, which is beneficial for both producer and household budgets. Let's boost the demand for sustainably produced fashion!
Photo credit: Phil Dera