Jan
Your pants are made of water
What are the major forces that are causing a strain on our precious fresh water resources? Over-industrialization? Yes. Big agriculture? Definitely. But what about the jeans you’re wearing? The connection between what we wear and the increasingly prevalent water crisis is abstract, but it’s there. Levi’s calculated the amount of water used to make one pair of blue jeans starting from watering the cotton fields to washing the pants at your house. The company discovered that each pair uses up 3,480 liters of water, which is the equivalent of running a garden hose for 106 minutes. This is according to Time Magazine reporter Bryan Walsh in his article which I highly recommend reading.
A Chinese worker takes a break after working through the night at a jeans factory. The blue dust is a heavy irritant to the lungs. Image source: Time Magazine
Levi’s has recently come out with a collection called Water<Less which will reduce the products’ water consumption by an average of 28%. Other companies are moving toward environmental sustainability by using pesticide-free cotton and natural dyes instead of harmful chemicals. It’s exciting to see that a high-profile company like Levi’s is helping the fashion industry “go green.”
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This is good news (the part about using less water)! I will add a few more points on denim and H2O:
1.) Washing jeans uses water. One new alternative to washing jeans is to freeze them. While this still requires energy, it is energy you are presumably already using by having your freezer or refrigerator plugged in. The cold temps kill odor causing bacteria, keeping the dirty smells at bay. This seems to be a perfect solution for the people who don’t have visible dirt on their jeans and just need a freshen up.
2.) However, a main problem with jeans, especially for me, is that they stretch out and thus fail to accentuate certain characteristics I may or may not have purchased them to accentuate. ANYWAY, in these situations, or when the jeans are actually dirty, you need to wash them. However, most people advise wearing jeans 3-5 times between washes which will help cut down on water use. You can also purchase a set of ionized washer balls, which will clean your clothes WITHOUT ANY DETERGENT. I have a pair, they’re amazing, check it out: http://www.reuseit.com/store/super-wash-ball-detergentfree-laundry-ball-p-3083.html
3.) Lastly, because denim is so durable and because worn jeans are often more comfortable and cooler looking, you can always look for jeans used. Higher-end consignment shops like Buffalo Exchange offer a great venue to make these types of purchases. Alternately, you can brave the color-coded racks of Goodwill for a sweet pair of “vintage” jeans (read: Mom Jeans). Add a patch and you’ll really be styling!
This will save all kinds of water and energy because the jeans are already made. If you walk or ride your bike to the store and bring your own bag–I mean, that is really awesome. Overachiever!