WE'VE DONE OUR HOMEWORK, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO

Read on to learn about the crazy impact we made together.

Did you know that 2/3 of your clothes' carbon footprint occurs in the use phase?

That is actually great news: you have the power to make a difference and we are here to give you the tools to do so.

It's simple. We create products that you can wear more, wash less and keep longer. You spend less, create less waste, save water and electricity. But how much can you actually save?

We ran the numbers and calculated how much water and energy we saved this year. Below you will read all about the impact and saving potential our clothing has, compared to traditional clothes. We then multiplied that with the total number of items you bought.

Look at the crazy impact we made, together. In 2022 we saved:

361,988 kWh of energy & 15,610,742 L of water

Wear more in-between washes

The average number of times a garment is worn before it's washed:

Wash & iron less

The average number of times a garment is washed and ironed per year:

Extend lifespan & reduce waste

The 3 key contributors to your clothes' carbon footprint during the use phase are washing, drying and ironing, according to the European Commission (Source 4).

Our innovative textiles allow you to wear your clothes longer between washes, therefore you wash and iron less, and save water and electricity. 

Frequent washing is also the main reason your clothes wear out. With LABFRESH you keep your favourites in top shape for much longer, as you wash less. As a bonus you also reduce waste in the process.

Number of wears during its entire lifecycle

Save water and energy

Amount of water used per year in litres

You save up to 540 more litres of water during the lifespan of a LABFRESH t-shirt vs. a regular one. That's 9 months of drinking water for the average adult.

In perspective:
- Bath: 150-300 litres
- Shower: 50-100 litres
- Flushing a toilet: 10 litres
- Washing dishes by hand: 23 litres
- Dishwasher: 20-40 litres.
- Washing machine: 40-80 litres

Amount of energy used per year in kWh

In addition we recommend washing at 30°C maximum, as 90% of the energy used by washing machines goes to heating the water. Another tip? Skip the dryer! Preserve the quality of your clothes longer and save an additional 315kg CO2 emission per year.
(Source 5)

What can you do with 1 kWh?
- Charge your phone for 2 hours per day, for an entire month
- Blend 200 smoothies
- Toast 160 slices of bread

Read more about the metohodology behind the calculations

This report was written by LABFRESH and published on 20 January 2021.

Number of wears before having to wash:
– Regular t-shirts/shirts: Table 6 from Source 1
– LABFRESH garments: Customer Satisfaction survey (1,500+ respondents)

Life span:
Average shirt lifespan: 35–50 washes (Source 6)

  • Regular t-shirt: 53–75 wears
  • LABFRESH t-shirt: 122–175 wears
  • Regular shirt: 70–100 wears
  • LABFRESH shirt: 122–175 wears

Water usage:
Laundry: 13.8L/kg (Table 4 from Source 1)
T-shirt (175g): 2.40L/wash
Shirt (200g): 2.76L/wash
Formula: 365 / wears × water per wash = annual water use

Energy usage:
0.32 kWh/kg (Table 4 from Source 1)
T-shirt: 0.056 kWh/wash
Shirt: 0.064 kWh/wash
Formula: 365 / wears × energy per wash = annual energy use

Sources:
1. Laitala et al. (2018): source
2. https://auth.novec.commonspotcloud.com/Save/1-kWh.cfm
3. LABFRESH Survey: https://labfresh.typeform.com/report/ZSVt9z/Rh9UQdCaJJq8xYw2
4. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2019/633143/EPRS_BRI(2019)633143_EN.pdf
5. https://www.treehugger.com/htgg/how-to-go-green-laundry.html
6. https://customer.mydrycleaner.com/BattistonsCT/content/shirts-lifespan