Main content

Does it take 10,000 litres of water to make a pair of jeans?

The numbers behind water use and denim production - what is the environmental impact of producing a pair of jeans?

Various claims have been made about how much water is used in the production of a pair of jeans, that cornerstone of casual clothing. With growing worries over the environmental impact of denim production, More or Less decided to investigate - with the help of journalist and researcher Elizabeth L. Cline who has written extensively on sustainability and the fashion industry.

This programme was first broadcast in July 2022.

Presenter: Tim Harford
Producers: Lizzy McNeill, Jon Bithrey
Programme Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound engineer: Neil Churchill
Editor: Richard Vadon

(A worker sews blue jeans in a textile company in Xintang, China, dubbed the 'denim jeans capital of the world'. Photo: Lucas Schifres/Getty images)

Available now

9 minutes

Last on

Sun 9 Jul 2023 23:50GMT
BBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa & BBC Afghan Radio

More episodes

Previous

Immigration: A More or Less Special Programme

Next

Are more adult nappies sold in Japan than baby ones?

See all episodes from More or Less

Broadcasts

  • Sat 8 Jul 2023 04:50GMT
    BBC World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa
  • Sat 8 Jul 2023 10:50GMT
    BBC World Service East and Southern Africa & Europe and the Middle East only
  • Sun 9 Jul 2023 08:50GMT
    BBC World Service West and Central Africa
  • Sun 9 Jul 2023 10:50GMT
    BBC World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa
  • Sun 9 Jul 2023 22:50GMT
    BBC World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
  • Sun 9 Jul 2023 23:50GMT
    BBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa & BBC Afghan Radio

Unlock the history and truth behind the data with The OU

Unlock the history and truth behind the data with The OU

Explore how numbers shape, and sometimes mislead us, with The Open University.

When can you trust statistics?

When can you trust statistics?

BBC Ideas discovers three easy ways to help make sense of statistics.

Podcast

  • More or Less

    Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics used in everyday life