Free tools · Home
The footprint of your wardrobe
Enter how many of each item you buy in a year. See the CO2 and water behind them.
Your clothes, one year
Enter your numbers and press Calculate.
| Item | Qty | kg CO2e | Water (L) |
|---|
Method and sources
Number of items times a per-item figure. The jeans figure covers the full life, including home washing. Other figures mainly cover making the item. Real footprints vary by fabric, factory and brand.
- Levi Strauss and Co, Full LCA results, 501 jeans: 33.4 kg CO2e, 3,781 L water (2015)
- UNCCD, Can fashion ever be sustainable? Cotton shirt 2.1 kg, polyester shirt 5.5 kg CO2e
- Water Deeply, cotton T-shirt about 2,700 L water (2017)
- Ecotricity, synthetic running shoes about 14 kg CO2e (2018)
- Dress 5.5 kg CO2e: assumption, same as a polyester shirt. No reliable source found for a typical dress.
- Water for polyester tops, dresses and shoes: no reliable source found, so not counted.
Questions
What is the carbon footprint of a pair of jeans?
Levi Strauss found 33.4 kg CO2e over the full life of a pair of 501 jeans, including washing at home. It also found about 3,781 litres of water.
What is the footprint of a T-shirt?
About 2.1 kg CO2e for a cotton shirt and 5.5 kg for a polyester one, as cited by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. Making a cotton T-shirt takes roughly 2,700 litres of water.
Why is water missing for some items?
We could not find a reliable per-item water figure for polyester tops, dresses or shoes. We show water only where we have a source.
What cuts my clothing footprint most?
Buy fewer items and wear them longer. If every item lasts twice as long, you buy half as many and halve this footprint.
Get tips by email
Simple ways to shop and live lighter. Once a month.