Epson & PATTERNITY Unveil New More Sustainable Collection Ahead of AW25 Fashion Weeks
06 May 2025: New pan-European research by Epson has revealed that 35 trillion litres of water – the equivalent to draining the River Thames fifteen times over – is needed to produce the combined number of clothes in UK wardrobes. Launched ahead of fashion week season, the first-of-its-kind study found that over 634,510 litres of water is required – across production, finishing and dyeing – to create the garments owned by the average British consumer.
According to the findings, Portuguese wardrobes have the highest water footprint per person (817,131 litres) followed by Italy (723,744 litres) and Poland (715,266 litres). The UK ranked seventh but were the least likely to have heard of the term ‘water footprint’. Amongst the worst wardrobe offenders were jeans using up to 18,000 litres of water, and sweaters using 14,000 litres. The dyeing process for a jacket typically requires over 3,300 litres – almost half of the water needed to produce the garment.
To show how innovation can tackle fashion’s ‘water footprint’ problem, Epson has collaborated with leading sustainability designer and authority on pattern, PATTERNITY, to create ‘Water Silks’, a collection of EcoVero™ silk scarves inspired by the rivers and canals of Europe’s style capitals. Printing with digital printers that use pigment inks, such as Epson’s innovative Monna Lisa, can reduce water consumption in the colour printing stage of clothing production by up to 97%. While fabric production uses the most water, significant amounts are also used during dyeing.
Water Silks re-imagines the Thames [London], Seine [Paris], Navigli [Milan] and Spree [Berlin] to serve as a reminder of intimate relationship between our environment and the clothes we wear. Highlighting its potential, traditional textile industry is responsible for approx. 20% of industrial wastewater worldwide.
Maria Eagling, Chief Marketing Officer at Epson said “Fashion is one of the world’s most influential and inspiring industries but as our research indicates, it also has a significant impact on our planet’s resources. Our ‘Water Silks’ collection demonstrates how creativity and sustainability can go hand-in-hand without having to compromise on artistry or quality. International luxury brands and designers, including Richard Quinn and Yuima Nakazato, have already adopted Epson’s more sustainable digital textile production methods. Epson continues to innovate in this area with the launch of the ML-13000 in 2023 that is designed to significantly reduce water consumption. What makes it so exciting is not only the water saving but also the flexibility of on-demand textile printing which significantly reduces stock waste and managing excess inventory.”
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