When purchasing a new item for our wardrobe, we tend to think a lot about how the cut and colour will work for us. However, thought also needs to go into how buying those pair of jeans or t-shirt will effect for the worlds water crisis. The textile industry is the third largest consumer of water in the world, just behind paper and oil industries. Cotton accounts for 90% of all natural fibres used in the textile industry and it is used in 40% all apparel produced globally. Cotton growing uses vast amounts of water, and needs extensive irrigation. The eternally thirsty cotton plant takes over 30,000 litres to create just 1kg of cotton. Most of us own a few pair of jeans in our wardrobes, but it actually takes 9,982 litres of water to create just one pair of jeans, which is the equivalent of flushing the toilet 250 times. Sadly everyone’s favourite fashion staple is not innocent in this picture either, the cotton t shirt, uses 2,495 litres of water, which is the equivalent of hosing your lawn for 9 hours straight. While these are pretty sobering statistics, there are some things we can do to feel a little less guilt about our wardrobes. With a little diligence it is easy to reduce your water footprint by simply purchasing fewer clothes in general and favouring investment pieces in our wardrobe. Luckily, the classic tee is a trans seasonal staple so it can be worn year round and never goes out of style. The same goes for your jeans, find a pair you love and work out ways to style them for day and night. For ideas on how to repurpose your clothes see: Repurposing Clothes for a Cheap Thrill.Image: Shutterstock