The Lifecycle of a T-Shirt

The cotton bails are shipped to a spinning facility

The cotton is blended, carded, combed, pulled, stretched, and finally twisted by high-tech machines, which the convert the material into ropes of yarn called slivers.

The slivers are transported to mills

At the mills, the slivers are woven by large and circular knitting machines into sheets of rough, grey fabric

Heat and chemicals are used to turn the fabric more soft and white

The new fabric is dipped into bleach and then azo dyes (to give it colour)

They are then transported to factories usually in China, India, Bangladesh, or Turkey

Human labour is needed to stitch up the fabric into t-shirts

The cotton is organized into 225 kg bales

These balls are put in an industrial cotton gin, which separates the seeds from the balls, creating pure cotton. ^

The fluffy balls created by the cotton plants are then harvested by tractors.

Cotton plants are grown.

Deforestation occurs in China, America, and India

Creates farms

Warm temperatures, rich soil

The Lifecycle of a T-Shirt

The cotton bails are shipped to a spinning facility

The cotton is blended, carded, combed, pulled, stretched, and finally twisted by high-tech machines, which the convert the material into ropes of yarn called slivers.

The cotton is organized into 225 kg bales

These balls are put in an industrial cotton gin, which separates the seeds from the balls, creating pure cotton. ^

Deforestation occurs in China, America, and India

Creates farms

The clothes are packaged
into polybags and/or
cardboard boxes

Next, the clothes are stored
into warehouses until ready
to be shipped

The boxes are put in
large shipping containers
and then brought to Canada
by cargo ships.

Once the t-shirts arrive on land,
they are transported by trucks and
maybe trains, eventually making
their way to stores.

The costs of t-shirts are largely externalized

The shirt gets bought

At the consumer's home
the shirts are constantly being
worn, washed and dried.

Consumer decides to
throw out the shirt

The shirt gets disposed of
either through a landfill,
incinerator, other methods,
or it's recycled

The Lifecycle of a T-Shirt

The cotton bails are shipped to a spinning facility

The cotton is blended, carded, combed, pulled, stretched, and finally twisted by high-tech machines, which the convert the material into ropes of yarn called slivers.

The cotton is organized into 225 kg bales

These balls are put in an industrial cotton gin, which separates the seeds from the balls, creating pure cotton. ^

Deforestation occurs in China, America, and India

Creates farms

The clothes are packaged into polybags and/orcardboard boxes

Next, the clothes are storedinto warehouses until readyto be shipped

The boxes are put in large shipping containersand then brought to Canadaby cargo ships.

Once the t-shirts arrive on land,they are transported by trucks and maybe trains, eventually makingtheir way to stores.

The costs of t-shirts are largely externalized

The shirt gets bought

At the consumer's homethe shirts are constantly beingworn, washed and dried.

Consumer decides tothrow out the shirt

The shirt gets disposed ofeither through a landfill,incinerator, other methods,or it's recycled

The clothes are packaged
into polybags and/or
cardboard boxes

Next, the clothes are stored
into warehouses until ready
to be shipped

The boxes are put in
large shipping containers
and then brought to Canada
by cargo ships.

Once the t-shirts arrive on land,
they are transported by trucks and
maybe trains, eventually making
their way to stores.

At the consumer's home
the shirts are constantly being
worn, washed and dried.

Consumer decides to
throw out the shirt

The shirt gets disposed of
either through a landfill,
incinerator, other methods,
or it's recycled