
The Devastating Effects That the Apparel Industry has on our Environment
Updated: Jan 27, 2021

The Fashion Industry:
Accounts for approximately 10% of global carbon emissions.
Is the second-largest consumer of the world's water supply.
Pollutes the oceans with microplastics.
Sends 85% of all textiles to landfills each year.
Burns or throws away one garbage truck full of clothes per second.
Releases 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean each year from consumers washing clothes (the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles).
Takes ~700 gallons of water to produce a single cotton shirt (enough water for one person to drink at least eight cups per day for three-and-a-half years).
Takes ~2,000 gallons of water to produce a pair of jeans (enough for one person to drink eight cups per day for 10 years).
Uses enough water with the dyeing process alone to fill 2 million Olympic-sized swimming pools each year.
Is responsible for 20% of all industrial water pollution worldwide.

The fashion industry desperately needs to change.
Our goal at 4 Our Planet is to bring about change by educating both students and adults about unsustainable vs. sustainable practices in various industries -- we are currently starting by investigating the fashion/apparel industry because of the alarming impact it has on our environment.