When you pick up a simple cotton T-shirt, you probably don’t think about water. But behind that soft, everyday fabric is surprisingly 2,700 litres of fresh water.
Cotton is one of the world’s most familiar materials, worn daily and found in everything from shirts to bed sheets. But behind this comfort lies a high environmental cost, as producing just 1 kilogram of cotton requires about 10,000 litres of water.
The global clothing industry in 2025 paints a picture of divergence, where brand value, market capitalisation, and projected sales do not always align.
