‭ -shirts are great, but‬
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‭are they good for‬
‭Earth?‬
‭ very year, people buy‬
E
‭approximately 2,000,000,000‬
‭t-shirts. Everyone has a favorite‬
‭t-shirt, so it’s no wonder that they‬
‭are an important part of our‬
‭wardrobe. But what really goes into‬
‭making a t-shirt might surprise you,‬
‭because t-shirts have a very big impact on our environment. From growing the cotton, to‬
‭processing the fabric, to the intricate labor required to sew a t-shirt together and then‬
‭the thousands of miles it takes to transport the t-shirt to your local store, the average‬
‭t-shirt has left a big impact on our Earth. And this is all before you even purchase the‬
‭shirt. What can you do to help lessen the impact of wearing t-shirts on the‬
‭environment?‬
‭Farming cotton‬
‭ ost t-shirts are made from cotton. Cotton is grown on farms in China, India and the‬
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‭USA. 99% of all cotton has been genetically engineered (not organic) and requires lots‬
‭of irrigation, fertilizers and pesticides to grow. Modern farms are large-scale, with huge‬
‭fields that have destroyed the natural habitats around them. Even though cotton is‬
‭better than polyester, it is still harmful to the environment.‬
‭From Plant to Fabric‬
‭ nce the cotton is separated from the seeds, a process called ginning, the large bales‬
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‭of cotton are sent to Chinese and Indian mills. Here the cotton goes through many‬
‭mechanical processes to turn the cotton into yarn. It then has to be woven into fabric‬
‭sheets, which use lots of water, dyes and chemicals. This stage requires lots of energy,‬
‭which is produced from nonrenewable resources such as fossil fuels, or can be very‬
‭toxic because of the chemicals and dyes used when making fabric.‬
‭The human touch‬
‭ nce the fabric is ready, it is sent to factories in India, Bangladesh and other poor‬
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‭countries to be sewed by hand. The production of t-shirts requires the skill of many‬
‭people, working in poor conditions and long hours. Unfortunately, these laborers are not‬
‭paid very much money, although for many, it is the only job they can find. It is estimated‬
‭that about 80 - 150 billion t-shirts are produced each year. Then, the t-shirts are shipped‬
‭all over the world to be sold in stores.‬
‭Now, it is finally time to wear a t-shirt‬
‭ nce a t-shirt is purchased, its impact on the environment continues. Washing and‬
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‭drying the t-shirt consumes a lot of water and electricity, contributing to environmental‬
‭strain. Over the course of its lifetime, the average cotton t-shirt requires about 2,700‬
‭liters of water. Additionally, the lifecycle of many t-shirts is short-lived. In fact,‬
‭approximately 85% of these garments end up in trash, landfills, or incinerators. Over the‬
‭past 20 years, the amount of clothing discarded has doubled, with the average person‬
‭now throwing away around 80 pounds of clothing annually.‬
‭What can you do?‬
‭ he environmental impact of something as simple as a t-shirt is much bigger than you‬
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‭might have imagined. The best step in helping our environment is to reduce the amount‬
‭of t-shirts (and clothing) you buy, you should only buy what you need. When you do buy‬
‭new, do your best to support companies that use sustainable manufacturing. When it‬
‭comes to cleaning your laundry, you should only wash t-shirts only when necessary,‬
‭wash in cold and air dry when possible. If damaged, repair clothing instead of throwing it‬
‭out. Another alternative to throwing away t-shirts is to try to turn them into something‬
‭new. Perhaps a grocery bag, a new piece of clothing or simply towels or rags. You can‬
‭also think about donating or recycling your used t-shirts and clothing. What will you do‬
‭the next time you need to replace your t-shirts?‬