Taking on fast fashion

There are two main crises regarding the fashion industry's water footprint-its staggering overconsumption and the catastrophic pollution it causes.

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The fast fashion industry alone accounts for approximately 3.2 per cent of the world's annual water consumption.

To put this in perspective, a single pair of jeans requires roughly 920 gallons of water to produce which is the equivalent of running a garden hose for over 100 minutes.

To make matters worse, the industry is poisoning vital water systems. In China's Li River, flame retardants from textile production have been traced and are so potent that they can change the sex of fish.

In Lesotho, Southern Africa, tanneries have turned rivers neon blue, leading to the rise of 'cancer villages' among communities reliant on contaminated water.

The situation is also dire in Bangladesh, where the industry accounts for two-thirds of the country's water pollution.