2021 Essay Contest Finalist

Entry by Madison Murrell

The Cost of Style

Fashion is one of the biggest contributors to industrial water consumption and pollution. Everyday people think about conserving water in obvious ways; shorter showers and turning off the water while brushing your teeth. But what if these actions were only a small percentage of water usage and pollution? People do not fully understand how much water is a crucial part in all life.

The World Resources Institute says “Cotton is the most common natural fiber used to make clothing accounting for about 33% of all fibers found in textiles”. This material takes the most water to harvest, not to mention the thousands of liters used to develop and dye the textile. One kilogram of cotton could take up to 20,000 liters of water to harvest. Irrigation used for this crop can also be damaging to the land and leave stress for many years to come (FSU). To end this process, thousands of liters of contaminated water are put into waterways and contaminate the water in the surrounding areas.

Even though it is out of reach to stop this extreme water usage in total, each person can make their own choices to help better the environment. When shopping for clothes, consider shopping second hand. Or when buying new clothes try to get cotton clothes that are sustainably produced or organic (FSU). This means that the cotton did not use any fertilizers or pesticides which makes the water used for production cleaner. Although the best thing to do is work with the clothes in your closet. Take care of them to make each piece last longer so that no materials will go to waste. Water is a precious resource and it is important to carefully utilize it in the most effective and resourceful way possible.