Water and chemicals are two essential ingredients for making cotton. Did you know that the Swedish clothing sector consumes as much water as the municipal waterworks produce annually? [1] [2]
The blue planet – The Earth consists of about 70 per cent water, so it may seem surprising that water shortages exist. Breaking down this 70 per cent, roughly 97 per cent is saline water, while over 2 per cent trapped within glaciers and ice. Less than 1 per cent is readily accessible through lakes, rivers, and groundwater. In principle, everything living on earth depends on this scarce percentage of freshwater, including animals, insects, and plants. It plays a critical role in sustaining life, alongside the intake of vital minerals and the intricate energy exchange within our complex and captivating ecosystem. However, this delicate system is vulnerable to disruptions at various stages.
We in the West have introduced a wear-and-tear mentality incompatible with this ecosystem. A system where we need to produce products as cheaply as possible. Cheap has since become the same as efficient, leading to large-scale being just as efficient. An example of what this has resulted in is, among other things, the Aral Sea, which today only consists of about 10 per cent of its former size. Or the Indus River, where the entire ecosystem, including the river dolphin, is threatened. Both of these examples are caused by the human diversion of water, which, instead of serving its purpose in the ecosystem, is used inefficiently in agriculture, for example, cotton cultivation, to make harvests more efficient.
Cotton is an appreciated product and preferable to oil-based materials such as polyester. Of course, it is possible to grow cotton sustainably. However, we can not produce such quantities at the price made today. Someone has to pay the price as we are not at all thinking about the consequences. It is mainly nature and the future of all of us who have to pay in the form of habitat reduction, such as fewer insects, birds, and other animals. No matter how hard it is to realize, we can not blame the spread of toxins in nature on anyone other than us humans. If we, you and I, knew what would happen the way we know now, would we have done differently?
There is much to read and learn – find the answers here at ReThink. Could you help us spread knowledge? Read for yourself and share what you know with others.
Today’s tip is, therefore, – to read on and spread knowledge. Also, keep in mind that we always have choices. A good choice in textiles is to reduce virgin consumption, that is
- Shop second-hand.
- Always choose organic alternatives.
- Demand sustainable choices where you shop – increased demand increases incentives for the trader to take home what you want.
- And, once again – spread the knowledge.
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