Understanding the lifecycle of a garment

The lifecycle of a garment begins long before it reaches a store shelf. For a cotton t-shirt, the journey starts with cotton farming (which may involve pesticides and heavy water use), followed by ginning, spinning, weaving or knitting, dyeing, finishing, cutting, and sewing.

The dyeing and finishing stages are the most chemically intensive. Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of clean water globally, after agriculture. A single t-shirt requires approximately 2,700 liters of water to produce — enough drinking water for one person for 2.5 years.

After manufacturing, garments are shipped globally (often multiple times between countries for different production stages), distributed to retail locations, and finally purchased by consumers. The average garment travels 10,000-20,000 miles from fiber to finished product.

During the use phase, garments are washed, dried, and ironed — each cycle releasing chemicals, microfibers, and consuming energy. The use phase accounts for approximately 25% of a garment's total carbon footprint.

End of life is where the system breaks down most dramatically. Less than 1% of clothing is recycled into new clothing. The rest goes to landfills (where synthetic fibers persist for 200+ years), incinerators, or is exported to developing countries where it often ends up in open dumps.

Understanding this lifecycle helps explain why certifications matter — they verify responsible practices at specific stages — and why buying fewer, longer-lasting garments has an outsized positive impact across every stage of the lifecycle.