The Environmental Impact of Textile Production
Charlie Bradley Ross
Sunday, 30 July 2017
This is a 23 minute Lesson that looks at the environmental impacts of textile production, to help you understand what you need to consider when sourcing and using materials for your products.
Did you know that an estimated 20,000 litres of water are required to produce just 1kg of cotton fabric – that’s enough for just one t-shirt and a pair of jeans? Or that an estimated 8,000 synthetic chemicals are used worldwide to turn raw materials into textiles, many of which will be released into freshwater sources? Staggering!
In this Lesson, we take a look at the jaw-dropping effects that irresponsible fashion production has on our planet. Once you have the knowledge, you can empower yourself to make more informed decisions on the best textiles to choose for your products.
In this Lesson, we cover:
- Water Pollution
- Soil and Air Pollution
- Natural Resources and Carbon Footprint
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The Social Impact of Textile Production And A Fabric's Effect On You
with Charlie Bradley RossRead More...Summary
This is a 22 minute Lesson that looks at the social impacts of textile production, and how these issues extend to you and your customers as the wearer.
Bangladesh’s textile industry is worth $28bn a year to the country – it's virtual lifeblood. So employees are trapped between potential poverty and a dangerous working environment. They have no choice but to endure whatever conditions they are given. In the full Lesson this clip is from, we learn about the social cost of textile production; from raw material to end product, how does it affect the people who produce it? Social impact also encompasses animal welfare. So the animals that create or contribute to the raw materials, how have they been treated?
In the second half of the video Lesson, we take a look at how fabrics can affect your health and your customers’ health, as the wearer, too. We discuss some of the nasty chemicals to avoid. We’ll also take a look at some the companies and organisations doing amazing things.