According to a study commissioned by textile printing specialist Epson, textiles are stored in an average German wardrobe, the total of almost 700,000 liters of water were required. This number is based on a survey carried out by Censuswide in eight countries published by Epson in the ‘Water Footprint Report’ from January 2025. In a European comparison between the eight countries, Germany is in fourth place, behind Portugal, Italy and Poland. German consumers: Inside, most T-shirts, jackets and socks also have, while Portugal has most coats and jeans in their closet. Dutch: Most underpants have.
The study assumes that an average of around 18,000 liters of water are required for the production, refinement and coloring of jeans. This is mainly used in fabric production, “but the coloring process also makes a not insignificant part of the total consumption,” said the study. For example, the coloring process of a jacket needs an average of around 3,300 liters of water.
According to the survey, the majority of the consumers surveyed: According to the survey, did not know about these relationships or has never thought about it. “This illustrates the low awareness of the high use of water (” water footprint “) in the production of textiles,” says the study.
According to estimates by the EU Parliament, whereby the study refers here, the traditional textile industry is responsible for around 20 percent of industrial waste water worldwide.
Water -saving printing technology from Epson
In order to show a way to reduce water consumption in the fashion industry, Epson worked with the London Studio Patternity and accompanied the “Water Silks” collection. The collection consists of a series of scarves of silk and the resource -saving material Ecovero from Lenzing, whose motifs are inspired by rivers and channels of European fashion metropolises.
They were printed using the industrial textile printer Monna Lisa by Epson. Compared to traditional processes, water consumption for color printing can be reduced by up to 97 percent, the company said.
The survey commissioned by Epson was carried out by Censuswide from November 1 to 07, 2024 in Great Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Poland and the Netherlands. A total of 8,007 people aged 16 and over were interviewed.