They might be an essential piece of everyday clothing, but scientists now say that even a simple pair of jeans could be bad for the environment.
Wearing a pair of fast fashion jeans just once creates 2.5kg of CO2, the equivalent of driving a petrol car 6.4 miles.
Scientists from the Guangdong University of Technology analysed the life cycle of a pair of Levi’s jeans from growing the cotton to their eventual disposal.
They found that some jeans were worn only seven times – earning them the classifiation of ‘fast fashion’ – and produced 11 times more CO2 than jeans wore more often.
Dr Ya Zhou, the study’s lead author says: ‘The humble wardrobe staple – a pair of jeans – has a significant impact on the environment.’