Co-funded by the European Union (2023-2-ES01-KA210-VET-000180154). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Spanish Service for the Internationalisation of Education (SEPIE). Neither the European Union nor SEPIE can be held responsible for them. Challenge 3 Transforming Denim: Toward 100% Sustainable and Circular Production Assignment 1: Understanding the Impact of Cotton Denim Jeans Company and Fashion Industry The fashion industry is one of the most polluting in the world. The production oif clothing, especially popular items like jeans, generates a large amount of waste and has a significant environmental impact due to: x Resource Consumption: The manufacture of jeans requires enormous amounts of water and chemicals. According to the European Environment Agency (2023), it is estimated that producing a single pair of jeans requires around 7,500 liters of water, from cotton cultivation to garment finishing. Annually, the volume of the EU clothing market produces around 37,892 million garments. On average, individuals buy 26 kilograms of clothes per year, but unfortunately, 11 kilograms are thrown away per person per year. x Textile Waste: Often, overproduction and fast fashion lead to a significant amount of unsold clothing ending up in landfills, increasing the volume of textile waste. x CO2 Emissions: The transportation and production of clothing generate significant carbon dioxide emissions, contributing to global warming. Exercise After reading the documents listed in the Material List for Activity 1, discuss in groups or individually some of the following questions: Discuss x How does organic cotton differ from conventional cotton in terms of environmental and social costs, and what challenges does organic cotton production still face? x What other costs and/or implications become apparent when cotton farming is viewed through the lens of other disciplines and professions? x What special expertise, resources, or theoretical orientations might others bring to help us better understand the costs and/or implications associated with cotton farming? x In what ways could the adoption of recycled or alternative fibers (like Tencel or recycled polyester) mitigate the ecological impacts identified in conventional cotton farming? x What are the possible ethical and environmental trade-offs between using fibers ranked higher in sustainability (e.g., recycled cotton) versus lower-ranked yet widely available materials like conventional cotton? Assignments
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