Lecture Notes: The Lifecycle and Impact of a T-Shirt

Introduction

• Annually, 2 billion t-shirts are sold globally.
• The production and consumption of t-shirts have a significant environmental impact.

Cotton Cultivation

• Primary Producers: America, China, India.
• Production Process:
  • Cotton seeds are sown, irrigated, and grown.
  • Harvested using self-driving machines.
  • Industrial cotton gin separates bowls from seeds.
  • Cotton lint pressed into 225kg bales.
• Environmental Impact:
  • Requires 2,700 liters of water per t-shirt.
  • High usage of pesticides and insecticides - carcinogenic and harmful to ecosystems.
• Organic Cotton:
  • Grown without pesticides.
  • Less than 1% of global cotton production.

Textile Production

• Bales shipped to China or India for spinning.
• Process:
  • High-tech machines blend, card, comb, pull, stretch, twist into yarns.
  • Yarns woven into fabric and treated with heat and chemicals.
• Dyes and Chemicals:
  • Use of azo dyes (70% of textiles).
  • Contains harmful metals like cadmium, lead, chromium, mercury.
  • Toxic wastewater contaminates rivers and oceans.

T-Shirt Manufacturing

• Factories located in Bangladesh, China, India, Turkey.
• Labor Conditions:
  • Bangladesh employs 4.5 million in the industry.
  • Poor working conditions and low wages.

Distribution and Environmental Impact

• T-shirts transported to high-income countries - large carbon footprint.
• Apparel production contributes to 10% of global carbon emissions.
• Global clothing production increased by 400% from 1994 to 2014.

Consumer Usage

• Laundry Impact:
  • Average American household: 400 loads/year, 40 gallons/load.
  • Dryers use significantly more energy than washers.
• Fast Fashion:
  • Driven by corporations, contributing to environmental damage.

Solutions and Recommendations

• Shop secondhand.
• Use recycled or organic fabrics.
• Reduce washing frequency and line dry clothes.
• Donate or recycle clothes at end of life.
• Reflect on personal clothing consumption and its impact.

Call to Action

• Recognition of environmental challenges inherited by today's youth.
• Encouragement to engage in sustainability initiatives.
• Reference to TED-Ed's Student Voice program and resources.

Conclusion

• Consideration of personal and collective responsibility for environmental impact.
• Encouragement to make sustainable choices in clothing consumption.