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Does it take 10,000 litres of water to make a pair of jeans?

The numbers behind water use and denim production - what is the environmental impact of producing a pair of jeans?

Various claims have been made about how much water is used in the production of a pair of jeans, that cornerstone of casual clothing. With growing worries over the environmental impact of denim production, More or Less decided to investigate - with the help of journalist and researcher Elizabeth L. Cline who has written extensively on sustainability and the fashion industry.

This programme was first broadcast in July 2022.

Presenter: Tim Harford
Producers: Lizzy McNeill, Jon Bithrey
Programme Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound engineer: Neil Churchill
Editor: Richard Vadon

(A worker sews blue jeans in a textile company in Xintang, China, dubbed the 'denim jeans capital of the world'. Photo: Lucas Schifres/Getty images)

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9 minutes

Last on

Sun 9 Jul 2023 23:50GMT
91福利社 World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa & 91福利社 Afghan Radio

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Broadcasts

  • Sat 8 Jul 2023 04:50GMT
    91福利社 World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa
  • Sat 8 Jul 2023 10:50GMT
    91福利社 World Service East and Southern Africa & Europe and the Middle East only
  • Sun 9 Jul 2023 08:50GMT
    91福利社 World Service West and Central Africa
  • Sun 9 Jul 2023 10:50GMT
    91福利社 World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa
  • Sun 9 Jul 2023 22:50GMT
    91福利社 World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
  • Sun 9 Jul 2023 23:50GMT
    91福利社 World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa & 91福利社 Afghan Radio

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Podcast

  • More or Less

    Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics used in everyday life