Levi Strauss Brings Water Recycling to the Apparel Industry

The environmental impact of the clothing industry is large and varied. Themost significant factorsdepend highly on the energy, toxicity and water life cycle of the material in question. In general the largest contributions occur in the material production phase (e.g. agriculture), clothing production phase (factory) and usage phase (washing and drying). These are in the form of energy, water and chemical pollution.

A number of companies are taking steps to produce clothing more responsibly and with a lower impact on the planet. Perhaps best known is the selection of low-impact materials, such asorganic cotton, which greatly reduces pesticide use. Other materials that have one or more sustainable characteristics include soy, bamboo, hemp and recycled plastic.

Then there are trends that reduce consumption such as recycled clothing, where scraps, rags and pre-worn items are refashioned into new forms. Then there are designs that are multifunctional, like theVersalette, which can be worn 30 different ways. The idea here is allowing you to pack lighter on your journey through life, with a few items that can meet a variety of needs.

Among common fabrics,life cycle analysisshows that cotton uses roughly 40 percent less energy than polyester, but cotton growing requires a great deal of water, which is a problem in dry areas. Only about a third of cotton goes into fabric production; the rest consists of seeds, stalks and lint byproducts that can be used to make viscose.

Levi Strauss & Co.just made an exciting announcement about changes to its production process that will reduce water usage. Before we get into it, it's worth taking a minute to talk about water. When talking about water conservation, things get a little complicated. That's because all water that is used eventually returns to the global water supply, so what's the big deal? For one thing, it could return polluted, or it could return somewhere far away from where it was withdrawn. Both of these outcomes could require considerable energy to reverse. It could also be overdrawn so that it's not there when you need it. Water that was used used to grow oranges in Florida, for example, eventually gets returned to the world's water supply. However, it could be shipped many miles away in the oranges, and end up in a different watershed. That's why it's worthwhile to look separately at water usage and water consumption.

Thisanalysisof cotton shows that for woven fabric, water usage is highest in the textile manufacturing phase, which accounts for around 60 percent of usage, while water consumption is highest in the agricultural production phase which accounts for about 70 percent.

The definition of these two terms is important. Water usage refers to all of the water applied, both directly and indirectly, in any given phase of the product's life. You can think of it as the gross amount of water used. It is important when there is limited capacity. Water consumption , on the other hand, refers to water that leaves the watershed from where it was taken. This would include irrigation water that is taken up by the plant and is either carried off with the harvest or evaporated. Another example is when washing a shirt, all the water used in the wash is considered water used, but only the water remaining in the shirt when its done, which will eventually evaporate, is considered water consumed. Large amounts of water consumption can leave an area dry, as water is transferred elsewhere.

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• Water Reuse & Recycling
• Water Monitoring