Dirty Laundry: Water and the World of Fast Fashion
Dec 21, 2022
Call the fashion police! In this
special holiday edition of What About Water? we dive into the apparel industry’s dirty
secret: its water use. Behind oil and gas, fashion is the single
most polluting industry on the planet. It accounts for 8 per cent
of all carbon emissions and 20 per cent of global
wastewater.
We start by catching up with shoppers at the
Picker’s Hullabaloo Flea Market in Charleston, South Carolina. They
tell us about the clothes on their wish lists this year and why
they choose to shop second-hand.
Jay talks water overuse and
about changes for garment designers and manufacturers with Andrea
Kennedy, Vice-President of Sustainability for Material Exchange.
From Shein to Patagonia, Jay and Andrea dive into the pollution
“fast fashion” creates, as well as the certifications and brands
you can look out for when you’re trying to shop more
sustainably.
Charleston vendor Madeline of Gaia’s Hearth shares the secrets to her natural dyeing
process: backyard plants, recycled water and a giant lobster pot.
We also turn to two technologies that are paving the way for
sustainable textile production at-scale.
Ernst Siewers, Chief Technology Officer of DyeCoo, tells us about his groundbreaking invention - the world’s first waterless textile dyeing machine. We also hear from Shahriare Mahmood, Chief Sustainability Officer for Spinnova. This Finnish company is harnessing the secrets of spiders to spin natural textile fibres out of wood pulp without using any harmful chemicals. This process uses minimal water and creates zero waste.
That’s it from us at
What About Water?
for 2022! We’re taking a holiday
break, but we’ll be back January 18 with some exciting news and a
brand new episode for you. Got ideas for the show? Something
you’d like to ask Jay? Write to us or send a voice memo to
ideas@whataboutwater.org.