The Regeneration
As consumer spending increases, especially in emerging economies, the clothing industry's environmental impact could greatly expand. The following graph depicts increases in environmental impact if 80% of emerging markets achieve Western per capita consumption levels. 3,030
+77% 170
1,714
2015
+20%
141
2025
CO2 emissions, millions of metric tons
2015
38
2025
Water use, billions of cubic meters
2015
41
+7%
2025
Land use, millions of hectares
Source: World Bank; McKinsey Analysis
The Problems Water Textile manufactures consume water at an alarming rate. It can take up to 2,700 liters of water to produce a single cotton T-shirt (organic and nonorganic), according to the World Wildlife Fund, a global environmental organization. Clothing factories also produce disturbing volumes of wastewater contaminated with toxins like acids, alkalis and fluorocarbons. That toxic 12
sludge leaches into waterways, contaminating drinking water and polluting the rivers, streams, lakes and oceans that sustain human life. Air Clothing production is a fossil-fuel intensive process. According to a 2016 World Bank Report, if current trends continue then by 2025, the fashion industry could be pumping