Brazilian denim giant Vicunha Textil is helping to raise awareness of water consumption in the fashion supply chain thanks to a project to measure the entire water footprint of a pair of jeans from cotton cultivation to the end consumer.

The result showed a whopping 5,196 litres of water is consumed during the lifecycle of a pair of jeans, with by far the most water consumed during the cotton cultivation process.

“We conducted this project in Brazil and measured the water consumption over the entire lifecycle of a pair of jeans,” explains Deborah Turner, marketing manager of Vicunha Europe. “The data was accurate and provided exact figures that allowed us to define new goals for our production chain.” 

The Vicunha Water Footprint project has been carried out in Brazil in collaboration with sustainability experts Ecoera, H2O-Company and Initiativa Verde. 

In order to answer the question “Do you know how many litres of water were used to produce the jeans you are wearing?”, it first analysed the current status of the supply chain. 

Targets were defined for reducing water consumption and compensation through socio-ecological projects such as soil recovery, water protection, carbon stocks and the formation of habitat corridors for biodiversity throughout the entire jeanswear production chain. 

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By using the method suggested by the Water Footprint Network (WFN) to calculate the water footprint, Vicunha Textil and Ecoera say that for the first time they have worked out the water consumption for its entire jeans-making process – starting at the planting of the first cotton seed and ending once the lifecycle of a pair of jeans is over. 

Three indicators were taken into consideration when calculating the jeans water footprint. 

  • Green Footprint – The rainwater volume contained in plants and soil in agricultural processes throughout the production chain. 
  • Blue Footprint – Water that has been sourced from freshwater, surface or groundwater sources that was not returned to the reservoir from which it is drawn. 
  • Grey Footprint – The amount of freshwater that nature needs to dilute the wastewater returned to the environment after the processes. 

The resulting water footprint was calculated at 5,196 litres of water consumed during the lifecycle of a pair of jeans, taking into account not only the amount of water but also the different types of water with these three different footprints. 

Every link in the chain was broken down step by step to measure the amount of water required in each: 4,247 litres for planting, 127 litres for weaving (5 litres of which accounted for the production of the fabric), 362 litres during the washing and manufacturing stage, and 460 litres in the household washes by the end consumer. Excluded from the evaluation were values for the recirculation/recovery of water used in daily laundry, which may vary depending on the wastewater treatment in different regions. 

“The most positive aspect for Vicunha is the fact that we use Brazilian cotton and 92% of the water consumed during the cultivation process comes from rainwater. No other country even comes close and this result gives us a big boost in the ranking,” Turner adds. 

The green water calculation was one of the most important and referred mainly to the agricultural processes. During the planting process, for example, it was found that the green footprint makes up 50% of the water consumption. As 92% of the water used in the Brazilian cotton harvest is rainwater, this consumption does not have any environmental impact. 

“Vicunha operates in north-eastern Brazil, a region with an extreme water shortage. The company has been committed to the responsible use of water resources for a long time now. With this project, we have created a unique tool. By analysing the results, we have further defined and developed our goals to increase water efficiency,” adds Marcel Imaizumi, Production Director at Vicunha Textil. 

“We need to stop discussing percentages in the industry and face the facts. Reduction is all well and good, but it’s really important to look at how much water we are consuming. We all need to consider our responsibility along the production chain, but consumers also have to make the change,” sums up Turner. 

Vicunha Textil is one of the leading players in the South American market but is also setting international benchmarks as a high-volume producer with an output of more than 20 million metres of fabric per month.

By being in control of every stage of the process, the company already works to a closed-loop production process, reducing water usage through a bio-degradable wastewater system, re-using water, and incorporating new technology dye stuffs. It re-uses and recycles energy, chemicals and waste cotton, avoiding landfilling.