Vintage Fashion and Water
Choosing vintage clothing over new garments can lead to significant water savings and environmental benefits. According to recent analysis by Oxfam, buying just one pair of second-hand jeans and a t-shirt instead of new items could save the equivalent of 20,000 standard bottles of water [1, 2] . This striking statistic highlights the immense water footprint of the fashion industry.
Water Savings from Vintage Clothing
By opting for vintage or second-hand clothing, you can dramatically reduce your water footprint:
Jeans: If every person in the UK purchased just one pair of second-hand jeans instead of new ones, it would save enough water to fill Wales' largest lake five times over [3].This statistic alone demonstrates the enormous potential for water conservation through vintage fashion choices.
Cotton Production: The cultivation of cotton, used in 60% of U.S. produced retail apparel, requires an astounding 7,000-29,000 liters of water to produce just one kilogram of raw cotton [4]
By choosing vintage cotton items, you're essentially saving thousands of liters of water that would have been used in new cotton production.
Textile Processing: Beyond cultivation, the processing of conventional textiles consumes an additional 100-150 liters of water for every kilogram of fiber [4]. Vintage clothing bypasses this water-intensive process entirely.
How much we save through the different channels and distribution of Vintage Reworx
Vintage Reworx is proud to say that we save approximately 48 million liters of water annually through the sale of Vintage and Reworx items based on the maths by independent [ 7]. This significant water conservation is equivalent to preserving 96 million standard water bottles' worth of water each year.
Again this number is based on the assumption of selling 100 combinations of different vintage, second-hand and preloved remnants of vintage pieces per month across our distribution of network [7]
Beyond water savings, our Vintage Reworx contribute to other environmental benefits:
Reduced Landfill Waste: By keeping clothing in circulation, you're helping to reduce the £12 billion worth of clothing that ends up in UK landfills annually. [5]
Lower Carbon Emissions: The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions. Your shops help mitigate this impact by promoting reuse.
Decreased Chemical Use: Vintage clothing has already been washed multiple times, reducing the chemical load associated with new garment production and initial washing. [6]
Microplastic Reduction: Many vintage garments are made from natural fibers, helping to reduce the shedding of microplastics during washing [5]
By operating four large vintage shops, you're making a substantial contribution to water conservation and overall environmental sustainability in the fashion industry. Your business model not only saves millions of liters of water annually but also promotes a more circular and eco-friendly approach to fashion consumption.