IS WATER AN ISSUE?
For some it may seem that we have plenty of water in this world to quench our thirst. However it tends to be in the wrong place. In England it seems to always be raining so for people in countries like England it can be hard to imagine that theres places in the world where rain is a blessing. With this in mind it seems strange that the countries where we make our clothes and farm our cotton - which needs so much water - are the places in the world where water is desperately needed.
Frankie Hewitson
Last year Cambodia saw a rise in western brands swarming to Cambodia for duty free production. According to water.org, Approximately 4 million people out of the total population in Cambodia lack access to safe water, and 6 million lack access to improved sanitation. With approximately 80 percent of Cambodians living in rural areas, poor access to safe water and sanitation. And yet, when making just one t-shirt we use approximately 2,270 litres of clean water. Where do we expect that water to come from?
Water pollution is a huge and growing global issue. Water that becomes contaminated with chemicals, whether thats chemicals from production or incorrectly disposed of waste - kills animals and land life. In poorer countries where water purification is rare and expensive, contaminated water can lead to life threatening diseases and infant mortality. However, all is not lost, amazing organisations and charities such as Frank Water provides the means and educates people around the world in poorer communities to clean the water themselves.
We can survive a few days without food, but we cannot survive without water. Seeing the dirty, rubbish filed, dyed water surrounding factories is a harrowing image. Considering 90% of waste water in developing countries is actually discharged into rivers without treatment shows you that this is a common problem. The toxic chemicals that are used to produce garments; when not cleaned will pollute rivers which in many cases pollute communities only source of drinking water. Companies are requiring by law to clean their water after using it. And brands talk about their water treatment centres, and how the audits from the factories show they have A* facilities. BUT, does anyone talk about what happens to the water after it’s been cleaned? What happens to the dye’s and the dirt that comes out of the water? Nope… no one does
Some of you may have been to water treatment centres (and will never forget that nose burning smell) but some of you may have no idea what I’m talking about. In a nutshell, all the water that’s used needs to go somewhere to be cleaned. You normally find a big well or some sort of water bubble room which is attached to the factories, this ideally should go to a large recycling company who do their magic (if any factory tells you they clean it themselves I would highly suggest an investigation). They don’t need to be huge and fancy but they do need to be large enough to go through the needed processes and you need at least a handful of very clever people with many letters after their names to make sure the science behind it is correct.
The water treatment centre i’ve worked with in the Indian city of Chennai is HUGE. The water is collected from many factories and tanneries around this area. The water goes through many processes, and then ‘tadarrr’ we have gorgeous clean water. But…where’s all the dirt gone? It hasn’t just vanished. It actually goes into landfill. It looks like a giant dried up desert of which 40% will naturally biodegrade, and the rest will just sit there forever.
Talking about issues like this might feel like we are doomed. But by highlighting this we shed light on areas of the supply chain which is forgotten.
If you love fashion and have concerns about your favourite brands, please contact them directly and ask them. If you work in fashion please speak to your production teams or supplies directly, you have the power to make so much change. and if you have any questions do email me on frankie@thefrankco.com.
Thank you
Frankie
