With a single pair of jeans requiring up to 6,000 litres of water to produce, water is one of the fashion industry’s largest environmental impacts. Yet its impact on workers and communities is often overlooked.
The new report, titled The Drip, is based on worker testimony, research and insight from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
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It identifies three systemic failures in water management:
- the absence of community-owned water data
- a disconnect between sustainability commitments and purchasing practices
- the disproportionate burden placed on women and frontline communities
“Water is fashion’s most significant environmental impact, yet it remains largely invisible in industry decision-making,” explains Amira Jehia, executive director at drip by drip. “The Drip shifts the perspective. It centres the people and places where fashion’s water footprint is felt most directly, and challenges the systems that continue to externalise those costs.”
The report includes firsthand accounts from garment workers who say they have been denied access to drinking water during extreme temperatures. It also includes comments from environmental scientists who have documented industrial contamination of water supplies.
A former brand auditor also details how environmental protections on water often only exist during inspections.
One supplier said: “Auditors come, we show them the ETP (Effluent Treatment Plant) 4, they check the paperwork. But running the ETP full-time? That costs more than the brand pays per garment. So, we turn it off when they leave.”
The Drip calls for fashion brands to take accountability for their water use, sharing responsibility across the entire supply chain.
“We invite you to treat this publication as a tool for reflection and dialogue. Where do you stand in this system and where can you make a difference? Perhaps these stories will spark a conversation, inspire a new choice in your everyday life, workplace, or community,” writes Céline van de Loo, project manager at drip by drip, in the report’s opening letter.
