H4H Habitude 006 | Be Resource Aware

As of March 2019, Levi Strauss's water programs have saved more than 3 billion liters of water and recycled more than 1.5 billion liters of water. Image credit: manusama from Pixabay.

In our modern world, it can be very easy to pick up a bottle of wine, a new pair of jeans, or new couch, or even a new car. What is not easy is to know or understand the resources that go into that item that you just purchased.

Levi Strauss calculated that it takes 713 gallons of water to produce one t-shirt (most of which is used in irrigating cotton fields) and 2,113 gallons of water to produce a pair of leather shoes. There are also energy inputs, chemicals that are part of the production process, shipping, and packaging (did you know most apparel items arrive at stores individually wrapped in plastic?).

Taking the time to learn about the resources that go into the products you buy is very important because when you know more, you can make more informed purchases. Water usage, energy inputs, materials, and packaging are all elements of products you can explore to learn about the resources involved with their manufacturing.

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