The steep price of blue jeans

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According to Levi Strauss & Co, a pair of 501 jeans, the company’s signature cut, used nearly 3,000 litres of water by the time it hit the shop floor and emitted 20kg of CO2e (a measure that encompasses all greenhouse gases) in 2015. 

the vast majority of dye is synthetic and contains toxic pollutants, including formaldehyde and cyanide. In some parts of the world, waste from the dye process is dumped straight into waterways, tinting rivers the colours of the forthcoming fashion season. Finishing processes can be equally polluting, resource-intensive and dangerous for workers who, too often, aren’t given the right protective equipment.

But there’s one drawback: expense. Though there are some innovative brands willing to invest,....brands typically want to keep things cost-neutral, making it much harder for sustainable start-ups to scale and subsequently lower prices.

For qns on fast fashion, sustainable development and consumerism.....

Qn:  ‘Consumerism is more of a curse than a blessing.’ How true is this of your society? (Cam. 2022)