This USD 1.7 trillion industry is estimated to account for 10% of global carbon emissions, driven by its energy-intensive production processes and extensive transport and shipping requirements. The industry is heavily reliant on natural resources, requiring vast tracts of land to grow cotton and other natural fibres, and furthermore requires enormous quantities of water to produce a single garment. For instance, it is estimated that producing a single cotton t-shirt can use up to 2,700 liters of fresh water¹. Moreover, textile dyeing and finishing processes contribute approximately 17–20 % of global industrial water pollution².  

To grasp the complexities of this compounded environmental impact, one needs to understand the textile manufacturing process. It involves multiple steps to convert raw fibre into a finished garment, including spinning the fibres into yarn, weaving or knitting yarns into textiles, bleaching, dyeing, printing, and finishing. Conventional textile manufacturing relies on and uses a variety of chemicals and resources at each stage which in turn generate diverse waste materials. When untreated waste, often in the form of wastewater, is released into the environment, it can harm the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of both land and water ecosystems. In addition, synthetic fibres make up a substantial portion of textile production. In recent years, concerns have grown about these materials, as it has been shown that synthetic textiles can release a large quantity of microfibers during regular washing, which eventually enter the natural environment³. These various pollution pathways pose risks to ecosystems (terrestrial and aquatic), overall biodiversity, and ultimately, human health, as depicted in the figure below ⁴.