Textile Industry Responsible for 20% of Global Water Pollution

60 to 70 million people work in the textile industry, valued at approximately $2.4 trillion. According to WWF, cotton is the world's most widely used non-food product, feeding more than 250 million people and employing 7% of all workers in developing countries.

According to WRI, an estimated 5 trillion liters of water are used in the dyeing process, and an estimated 48-144 billion square meters of fabric from factory waste ends up in landfills each year. It takes up to 10,000 liters of water to make a single pair of jeans, and about 2,500 liters to make a cotton shirt. Overall, the industry is responsible for 20% of the world's water pollution, which is enough water to quench the thirst of 110 million people for an entire year.

Meanwhile, waste and circular economy have become a major issue as the total amount of textile waste has increased 8-fold since 1960, with only 15% being recycled but 85% being incinerated or landfilled. In terms of carbon emissions, the industry is responsible for ~7-10% of the annual global emissions - which is more than all international flights and ocean shipping combined. By 2030, these greenhouse gas emissions will increase by more than 50%.

The Paris Agreement's 1.5-degree target requires climate impacts to approach zero by 2050, leaving little to no room for net GHG emissions from textile production, transportation, laundering, or waste management. Compared to sectors such as plastics, glass and metals, the textile industry has been very tardy in moving to a circular economy. Less than 1% of all textiles worldwide are recycled into new textiles. This means that the industry needs to focus more on sustainability.

There are several examples of reducing pollution and developing a greener textile industry, which can be divided into four key areas:

1) new business models to extend the life of garments.

2) new production technologies, such as 3D printing.

3) new recycling technologies for materials