WATER USE from fibre to fashion

This factsheet informs you about the reduction of water-use and provides

you with concrete actions for less water consuming cotton and better

water efficiency in the wet-processing stages. Another factsheet deals

with waste water treatment issues.

Cotton and Wool

Man-made fibres

Recycled fibres

Energy use

Water use

Waste water

(available soon)

Chemicals use

Index: Factsheet

The textile case

The environment

issue

The supply chain

approach

Product design and

fabric selection

Choose suppliers with a

credible certificate

Check supplier’s policy

and performance

Work with suppliers on

improvements

Inform the consumer

Get informed, aware,

inspired and challenged

CSR Factsheet

THE TEXTILE CASE Throughout the production of textiles most water is used for cotton cultivation

(2/3 or more of the total volume). Consumers use a lot of water to wash their

clothes (up to 1/3). Textile processing uses far less water but causes most water

pollution. This puts great pressure on the availability and the quality of water in

areas where cultivation and processing takes place.

This means that the choice for cotton fibre highly dominates the total

water-footprint of a piece of garment (see next page). It also means that a

significant part of the water-footprint can only be influenced by the consumer in

the use phase. Water use in the wet processing also deserves serious attention,

because of the local pollution impact. See also waste water treatment factsheet,

available soon,

Planet

Provided by:

Water use impacts (blue spheres) in the ‘fibre-to-fashion’ chain

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The water footprint of a product (goods or services)

is the total amount of fresh water that is used to

produce this product. This includes water use in the

various steps of the production chain.

The water footprint also links the amount of water

used with data on water availability. It makes a

difference whether there is enough rainfall or river

flow, or whether there is limited water in lakes or

underground.

What can you do?

Designers and product managers:

At least be aware of the cotton water footprint.

Maybe, you can consider non-cotton alternatives for the fabric (see also factsheet Man-made fibres).

You make the basic decisions. These decisions on specific requirements (look, feel, colour, print) for fabric and

final garment are mainly realised by wet-processing treatments (bleaching, dying, washing and finishing). Be

aware of the impact these processes have on water use and pollution.

Start a dialogue with your suppliers on efficient water use (via sourcers and supply chain managers). Don't let the

fact that there are no general rules on water use available stop you.

Sourcers and supply chain managers

You select suppliers of fabric (and yarn) and this is where you can make an impact. Be aware of the water-use in

the wet processing stages and evaluate/review the specific production situation at supplier factories.

Cotton fabric buyers

You can look for suppliers offering (certified) cotton fabric from water-efficient cotton cultivation and textile mills.

Levi Strauss & Co. states:

How much water is associated with the production,

use and disposal of a pair of Levi’s®? About 3500

liters. That’s a lot of water for one pair of pants –

but it includes the water associated with growing the

cotton, manufacturing the jeans, bringing them to

market and consumer care and disposal. When you

take 3500 liters for just one pair of Levi’s® and

multiply that times the millions of jeans we make a

year, you understand why we are so committed to

playing a leadership role on issues associated with

water.

(CEO Water Mandate Communication on Progress, Levi

Strauss & Co., September 22, 2009)

THE ENVIRONMENT ISSUE Water is very abundant on earth, it covers more than 2/3 of our planet. But only up to 2.5% of the total volume is fresh water. Of the fresh water most is locked in icecaps, which leaves less than 1% of all water on the world readily available for all the demands of all species and mankind. Availability of clean, fresh water is seen as the next greatest global problem after climate change. Many of the larger brands in the textile industry have

already identified water use as one of the key

environmental issues that needs to be covered. An

example is included in the box.

The problem of water scarcity is very specific to

regions and locations. The use of irrigation water

should pose no serious problem in rain rich Brazil

with its water abundant river deltas.

But it already caused major problems in the Aral

lake region (Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan) where

the water level has dropped 20 meters since 1960,

primarily as a result of inefficient irrigation for too

large scale cotton farming.

THE SUPPLY CHAIN APPROACH Since cotton is so often our fibre of choice, this

means a high need for irrigation water. This does

not mean that we should skip cotton – although a

man-made or synthetic fibre is a less water con-

suming alternative. But we should certainly work

on a lower water footprint for cotton. This can be

done by choosing rain-fed cotton or cotton that is

cultivated with improved irrigation techniques,

certainly in regions where water is scarce.

Further in the production chain, large quantities of

water are required to dissolve chemicals that are

used in the wet processing stages and to wash

and rinse those chemicals to prepare the yarn or

fabric for the next step (see box).

This map illustrates the ratio of water withdrawal to fresh water availability at river basin level.

As you can see, most of the cotton production (60-70%) takes place in red (alert) marked water

basins. North China and western USA, India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Turkey all are under fresh

water stress. Click here.

Growing cotton: 8,000 – 40,000 liters/kg cotton

So the fibre/fabric choice is important!

Finishing: up to 700 litres of freshwater/ kg

textile

Wastewater from production :up to 600 litres/ kg

textile

So the wet processing stage is also important!

Certainly for synthetic fibres and for the chemical

pollution in the waste water. See waste water

treatment factsheet, available soon.

Source: Bluesign Technologies, AFIRM RSL seminar

presentation (sept. 2007)

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WHAT TO FOCUS ON AND HOW TO

IMPROVE? There are three ways of managing water use

reduction:

A. Product design and fabric selection

B. Screening, selecting and working with

suppliers

C. Informing the consumer

A. Product design and fabric selection You can adjust the design of a product and select

fabrics in such a way that the impacts of water use

are minimised. Unfortunately it is not possible to

give specific directions which are generally valid for

‘water-efficient’ designs. The very general rule is:

Cotton is the most water consuming fibre and

The more specific fabric properties -> the more

wet-treatment steps are needed -> the more water

consumption and pollution.

Organic cotton is not specifically more water

efficient. But there are several more water-efficient

certified cotton fibres (fabric) readily available

(however not yet by large share of the total cotton

supply).

BMP Cotton

The Better Management Practices Cotton from

Australia claims and certifies that the cotton is

grown three times more water-efficient than the

global average. You can purchase BMP-cotton at

several registered Australia-based and

internationally operating cotton suppliers.

Cleaner Cotton

The Californian Sustainable Cotton Project

developed Cleaner Cotton. Their cultivation

method is claimed to use 15% less water than the

conventional method. The website lists some

suppliers of fiber, yarn and fabric.

BCI (Better Cotton Initiative)

This initiative focuses on better management

practices in cotton cultivation. It aims at

optimization of water use and reducing adverse

effects on groundwater and water basins (lakes,

rivers). The first crops will be harvested Autumn

2010 and will become increasingly available over

the coming years. Members of the BCI include

producers, retailers (H&M, IKEA, Marks &

Spencer, etc.) and brands (Adidas, Levi

Strauss & Co , Nike, etc.)

What can you do?

Look and ask for certified cotton. Organic Exchange certified cotton may also be more water-efficient, but

ask for water-use specifics f.e. rain-fed cotton.

B. Screening, selecting and working with

suppliers The second way to manage the water footprint of a

product is to include performance on water use in the

screening and selection of suppliers and to work with

them to improve their performance. There are

basically three ways to do this:

1. Choose suppliers with a credible certificate.

2. Check supplier’s policy and performance.

3. Work with suppliers on improvements

B1. Choose suppliers with a credible certificate Although there are no certificates in the textiles sector

that focus specifically on water use, there are certain

textile standards that include requirements relevant to

a responsible water use.

Oeko-Tex Standard 1000 and 100plus

The Oeko-Tex Standard 1000 focuses on

environmental-friendly textile processing. On water

use the standard requires a thrifty as possible use

without posing specific requirements yet. Oeko-Tex

100plus is a product label combining the 100 and

1000 standard throughout the whole production

chain. The website provides information on

certified suppliers.

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GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)

The GOTS standard requires documentation of

staff training in the conservation of water in the

processing plant and record keeping of water

consumption by wet processing units.

Bluesign

Addresses the water use issue through the

resource efficiency pillar of the standard, no

specific water use requirements are set. Bluesign

requires eliminating problematic chemicals in

production [see chemicals factsheet] and operating

an adequate wastewater treatment system. See

wastewater treatment factsheet, available soon.

What can you do?

Begin with checking if your suppliers

are certified or plan to work on it. In

sourcing and buying, keep a keen eye for

suppliers that are already certified by one

of the above certificates

B2. Check supplier’s policy and performance Currently, claims on ‘water use’ are not common

among suppliers in the textile supply chain.

However it is expected that suppliers increasingly

will give you information on their policy,

performance and specific product claims on

reduced water use. Independent information might

be most reliable but “who is the sender”?! You can

always consult a MODINT CSR manager on their

opinion.

What can you do?

Check the suppliers sustainability report and/or ask relevant questions:

Does the supplier have a policy on water use?

Is this policy translated into specific targets on water use?

Is water consumption monitored and reported?

Ask for specific information about water use and consumption, reduction and specific measures. It is important

that this information can be considered reliable (‘no easy way-out on serious questions’!).

Verify the answers to these questions, preferably through:

a signed water or environmental policy – preferably part of an environmental management system (ISO-14001)

a verified CSR report including specific water-consumption data.

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Presently two interesting management initiatives

on water protection are also specifically active in

the textile supply chain. Such initiatives and the

information and tools they provide can help you

shape your water management throughout your

supply chain.

CEO Water Mandate

The CEO Water Mandate is a public-private

initiative designed to engage companies in the

development of sustainable public water

policies and implementation and disclosure

practices. Participation is combined with the

membership of the UN Global Compact.

Signatories to the CEO Water Mandate include

H&M, Levi Strauss & Co and Nike.

The Sustainable Water Group

In this working group of the BSR (Business for

Social Responsibility) several textile brands

(Gap, Levi’s, Nike, Nordstrom and Timberland)

work together on standards for waste water

quality including the efficient use of water.

Special focus is on decreasing water-risks in

China-based textile supply chain.

What can you do?

You can either join an initiative yourself or work with suppliers that joined one of these initiatives.

B3. Work with suppliers on improvements Apart from a screening and selection of suppliers

based on their water use, your company can also

actively work with suppliers to map and minimize

water use. Of course this also goes for the

company’s own operations (show a good example,

‘walk the talk’).

Public available tools to get practical insight in the

water use and scarcity in your supply chain are:

Global Water Tool (WBCSD, World Business

Council for Sustainable Development)

The tool maps water use in the supply chain and

links water use with data on water scarcity by:

- Comparing your company’s water uses

(including supply chain) with water availability

information, on a country and watershed basis.

- Calculating water consumption & efficiency.

- Indicating relative water risks in your

company’s portfolio.

- Creating key water reporting indicators (GRI)

and geographic mapping.

- Enabling effective communication on water

issues.

Water Footprint network

A tool which is currently in development is the

‘water footprint’ tool. A tool for businesses will

become available. For now you can download

a report on cotton production and water use

including data on water scarcity in different

countries from the website.

What can you do?

Explore the above tools to get insight and start to manage water use.

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The performance of textile mills on reduced water

use are finally depending on concrete technical

improvement measures.

Generally applicable

- Pipes, valves, pumps and fuses in good order

and not leaking;

- Cooling water switched-off when not necessary;

- Overflow protection for vessels.

More advanced

- Counter-current washing in-between processing

stages, saves up to 75% rinsing water;

- Automated water flow dosing systems for fully

controlled water use;

Best practices

- Water reuse systems

- Specific low water use technology like low liquor

ratio dyeing

Technical measures need careful consideration

on investment and cost saving. They are usually

only financially feasible when the use of fresh

water is charged appropriately. And of course

measures are needed in case of water scarcity

risks or actual deliverance insecurity.

What can you do?

Ask after and look for the generally applicable measures during a processing plant visit. They can be visually

checked.

Make the more advanced measures a point of review and discussion if there’s a solid longer term and direct

relation with a textile processor.

You can regard best practice measures as a recommendation on the environmental and processing quality of a

supplier.

Finally you might include the availability of measures in the selection process of suppliers.

C. Inform the consumer The third way to manage your water footprint is to

raise awareness with consumers on water lean

washing. This step is an important one, because

the amount of water used for the washing of

garments by the user accounts for up to 1/3 of the

total water use in the total life cycle of textile.

What can you do?

Inform consumers of the need to use full machines and modern water efficient washing machines.

Inform them of the need to carefully consider whether washing is really necessary, without compromising

hygiene.

Inform the consumer on the use of a lower washing temperature (usually the max. allowable temperature is

indicated).

Promote line drying. Click here.

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… GET INFORMED, AWARE, INSPIRED AND CHALLENGED!

Designers/ Product managers

leave room in your design for low water-use choices in fibre, fabric and processing

Buyers/ Sourcers/Product managers

explore and purchase water-efficient/ low water footprint fabrics/garments

aim on certified and other initiatives

CSR and Supply chain managers

select suppliers or discuss with suppliers on water use reduction

work with initiatives, tools and on specific measures

aim on certification or co-operation with initiatives

Management

structural water efficiency policy, management and best practices

preferably together with your most relevant suppliers

training and informing employees

putting targets (priority) and providing means (budget)

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This series of factsheets is produced by MODINT and CREM in co-operation with VGT, CBW-MITEX, MADE-BY and Solidaridad,

supported by VROM and AgentschapNL. – version: October 2010

The information in this factsheet is composed with utmost care based on public available information. Any liability cannot be

claimed on the composers. The information is a selection of the most relevant according the composers. This is a first public

version of the factsheet series, all users are invited to give comments and suggestions for improvements via csrcheck@modint.nl .

You can indicate yourself as user also via csrcheck@modint.nl (subject: factsheet user) in order to get a notification when a new

version of factsheets is available.