SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation and the Fashion Industry
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were established seven years ago (2015) by the United Nations (UN) and were adopted by all UN Member States at the time to act as “a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.”
These SDGs were supposed to be the “urgent call” governments, industries, and citizens needed to commence the long and hard process of creating lasting change and global solidarity in the pursuit of a better tomorrow. Seven years down the line though, and many industries have barely begun implementing sustainable development…
Here at Threading Change, our specialty is fashion and the textile industry; that is what we can speak to, and so we encourage you to follow us along on this ride and learn about the UN SDGs and specifically how they relate to the fashion industry.
SDG 6: “Ensure access to water and sanitation for all". There has been an increase in access to clean drinking water and sanitation, but billions of people, including many indigenous communities, still lack these basic services. Furthermore, many of our water systems are contaminated and world water resources are in an ecological crisis. Worldwide, 1 in 4 people (2 billion people) around the world lack safe drinking water (WHO/UNICEF 2021), and almost half of the global population (3.6 billion people) lack safe sanitation (WHO/UNICEF 2021).
This SDG looks at the many inequities when it comes to our water systems, services, and resources. Water and access to clean water is something that is still being fought for for many.
Global citizens recently just celebrated World Water Day held on March 22nd; on this day, we focus on the importance of fresh and clean water and observe the progress and targets that still need to be met and addressed.
When we look at SDG 6, it is important to understand this underrated natural and regenerative resource which covers 71% of the Earth’s surface and is under great stress (Water Science School, 2019). This is an overwhelming concept and abstract to many as water is readily available and seems untouched and pure.
The reality of our water crisis is happening in two ways:
Firstly, many communities do not have access to clean water. Some of the most vulnerable communities to climate change also have threats of water scarcity (Fashion Revolution, 2020). For these rights to become a reality globally, we will need robust systems and well-resourced, capable services that support the achievement of resilient communities and Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
Secondly, the ecological toll and strain we are putting on our water is considerably damaging to the life that lives in water through water temperature fluctuations and the contamination that we are seeing with chemicals, micro-plastics, and hazardous pollutants.
But what does this all have to do with the fashion industry? Where is the connection between fashion and water?
During the month of March, we’ve been exploring fashion’s impact on water and looking at how we can practice water stewardship as citizens and consumers within the fashion space. We are seeing unregulated consumption of water and pollution happening throughout the preproduction, production, and postproduction stages, which poses a serious threat to surrounding water systems and access to clean water.
There are many long-term effects of textile and clothing production, and SDG 6 addresses one aspect of the ecological crisis that the fashion industry causes. The fashion industry contaminates water systems and affects many communities from toxic chemicals and dyes, to irrigation for cotton monoculture crops, to energy intensive laundry cycles, to microplastics from synthetic fibers, and more.
During the preproduction and production phases of garment manufacturing, there is a significant amount of water used as well as significant amounts of industrial wastewater; more than 4,000 MLD every single day, a number equivalent to 20,000 Olympic swimming pools (Fashion Revolution, 2020).
Most of the water utilized during the dyeing and fiber preparation phase is untreated when circulated back into waterways and it contains residual dye, mordants, chemicals, and micro-fibers. The chemicals do not break down as they enter rivers and oceans, making their way around the world. There are many chemicals used during the textile manufacturing process from the growing of the fibers, to the dyeing and finishing of the product, that pollute our waterways and threaten life and communities in and around these bodies. Factories make it untraceable to know what hazardous chemicals and where the runoff water goes. This not only is harming the environments around the factories but it is harming and poisoning the life that relies on water and lives in water.
The manufacturing processes, such as irrigation, dyeing, tanning, printing , and washing processes, are stages in the manufacturing process that are heavily dependent on large quantities of fresh water. The majority of water used is sourced from groundwater, and because of intense amounts of extraction, many communities are facing the repercussions of unregulated extraction and consumption.
In areas like Dhaka, a textile and garment manufacturing cluster, they are seeing threats to domestic water use because their ground water level has dropped 10m per year during 2000 to 2010. If the textile industry doesn’t slow down the rate of consumption, the earth’s natural cycle will not be able to replenish itself (Textile PaCT).
In post production, and when clothing is in consumers' wardrobes, we are seeing large amounts of microplastics being released into water systems when we wash synthetic clothing like our polyesters, acrylics, lycra, and poly-blends. These tiny fibers are released during consumer washing and they are polluting our washing systems in a different way: recently a report came out acknowledging that microplastics have now been found in our blood (savasdfsadf).
The Water Playbook has a tool that is helpful to consumers to understand the sheer amounts of water consumption in our own wardrobes' through a calculation of their water footprint (Water Playbook). There are a number of ways this industry affects the ecological and social cost to water systems but there are also many solutions and technology to support water systems. What we do need is to slow down and transition the fashion system, and have brands provide funding to implement them in the factories or facilities that they are having their clothes made in.
How can you help?
A water crisis is happening within the industry; brands, global citizens, suppliers, and factories need to commit to transparency and traceability in supply chains by purchasing from genuinely sustainable fashion brands.
The water crisis affects everyone; citizens and consumers have to apply pressure to international brands, governments, and manufacturers to change their water management systems and rate of extraction. Call on brands to implement treatment plants and support funding for transitioning factories in creating systems that allow water to be purified and put back into the natural cycle. There are many organizations that are tackling the water crisis and the many intertwined issues it has with the textile and fashion industry. For example Drip by Drip is a non-for-profit organization that is working to find, develop and spread solutions for the water issues caused by the textile industry, engaging with consumers and professionals to spark change.
Furthermore, you can get involved with organizations working to change the fashion industry, like ours!
Make sure to share on social media to get the word out and build up the growing global-local community. There are a number of ways you can support our work and ways we can partner with you, your team, or school!
If you missed our previous educational works on SDGs 1-5, check out our Instagram! Try searching the hashtag #ThreadingChangexSDGs to see all of our informative posts in one spot.
About the Author:
Isabelle (she/her) is an artist whose work is an ongoing sensory experience that explores the relationships between body and space. Her work is grounded in establishing connections and events that define shared experiences to understand human interaction within the physical, political, social, and spiritual environment. Isabelle obtained her BFA in Textiles and Fashion at NSCAD University. Isabelle’s work has been exhibited in Toronto, Halifax, and Copenhagen. She has conducted a number of research projects investigating the future of fashion with KEA University, and has collaborated with several brands including Samsøe & Samsøe, and the Green Cannabis Co. In her art practice and experiences, she has created textile based design processes and solutions that establish connections to reinterpret textile production into a more environmentally and socially conscious industry. She is grounded by the preserving and passing of tradition while focusing her research on designs and systems, intersectional environmentalism, and climate justice.
Sources
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