It’s no secret that fashion hits the planet hard. Every year the textile industry uses on average 93 billion cubic meters of freshwater. That’s a mind bending amount - enough to run through Niagara falls for three straight days! In T-shirt terms, the production of a single cotton shirt uses about 3,500 litres of water. The same amount to run 40 bath tubs or to fill 3 full-sized Jacuzzis. Yep... that’s a thirsty shirt you’re probably wearing. But hey, why does it matter? 

Well... water is the elixir of life after all. Sixty percent of us is water - but more importantly only three percent of the world's water is fresh and global supplies are being swallowed up at an alarming rate. The WWF predicts that by 2025 two thirds of the planet’s population will be facing water shortages. Which means spreading deserts and nearly five billion people without access to enough of the fresh-stuff to meet basic human demands. So, something has to be done. 

This is why more and more people in the textile industry are starting to develop sustainable alternatives in an effort to save water. Hemp clothing is one area in particular that is attracting significant attention. Its water saving capabilities are widely acknowledged and impressive. A typical Hemp T-Shirt uses 4 x less water than it’s cotton counterpart. A huge difference that has motivated big business like Levi’s and Patagonia to start writing hemp into their own water saving strategies.

So what to do? As with most pressing environmental issues, an individual response is a great and achievable place to begin. Next time you need a new T-Shirt, give the old cotton standard a miss and seek out sustainable hemp alternatives instead. You might not save the world right away, but with one simple consumer choice you will save the world nearly 2,500 litres of fresh water. And that’s not a bad way to get things flowing...