COTTON THIRST
3,000 Liters for one cotton shirt,
30,00,000 Milliliters for one cotton shirt.
YES! YES!
The numbers are mind boggling yet accurate. We were always taught the benefits of wearing cotton, claiming it absorbs sweat and makes one feel cool and easy in summers, oblivion to what that sweat actually cost.
One key ingredient that doesn’t show up on your shirt’s label is water. Amazingly, it can take 3,000 liters to produce the cotton needed to make a single t-shirt.
So, the next time you pick up a new shirt while idly browsing a store, or drop it into your online shopping cart, remind yourself of these statistics : one cotton tee takes 3,000 liters of water to make. Pair it with a denim jacket, and you are adding another 7,500 liters. Taken together, this is the amount of water one person needs to consume in six years.
The fashion industry is responsible for 20% of water contamination around the world, “That number will double by 2050 if we don’t act now”.
Now, lets us take a view at water crisis we are facing;
Water covers 70% of our planet, and it is easy to think that it will always be plentiful. However, freshwater — the stuff we drink, bathe in, irrigate our farm fields with — is incredibly rare. Only 3% of the world’s water is fresh water, and two-thirds of that is tucked away in frozen glaciers or otherwise unavailable for our use.
As a result, some 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to water, and a total of 2.7 billion find water scarce for at least one month of the year. Inadequate sanitation is also a problem for 2.4 billion people — they are exposed to diseases, such as cholera and typhoid fever, and other water-borne illnesses. Two million people, mostly children, die each year from diarrheal diseases alone.
Even Women are disproportionately affected by the water crisis, as they are often responsible for collecting water. This takes time away from work, school and caring for family. The lack of water and sanitation locks women in a cycle of poverty.
Now the question the question arises, What can we do? What are the possible solutions?
“ We are not asking the consumers to stop buying altogether, but let us hope they will consider getting a bamboo shirt ,rather than a cotton one”, says Thomas. Ethical fashion may cost more than the faster variety, but consumers are now willing to pay more. And its no longer only a question on quality alone.
Benefits of Bamboo fabric:
Antibacterial — keeps you odor free and feeling and smelling fresh
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Highly sweat absorbent (pulls moisture from skin for evaporation — moisture wicking) — keeps you dry
Powerfully insulating — keeps you cooler in summer and warmer in winter
One of the softest fabrics on the planet you’ll love the way it feels
Naturally UV protectant — protect yourself from skin cancer
Hypoallergenic — natural bamboo does not cause allergic reactions
Most eco-friendly fabric on the planet — help save your planet
Conclusion:
Fashion is what we think it is. If we take the cause together the change is really possible. It is always possible and Greta Thunberg is the biggest example for us, if she can lead the cause so can we. Let’s pledge to stand together for the environment, for our own nature.
Here is the link to order your bamboo tee
