Earth Overshoot Day 2025 – we’re living beyond our means
On Earth Overshoot Day—the day humanity has used all the resources the Earth can regenerate in a year—an uncomfortable truth becomes clear:
We’re living far beyond our means.
The rest of the year is symbolically “borrowed”—from future generations, exploited ecosystems, and a natural world that has long been at its limit.
In 2025, Earth Overshoot Day falls on July 24 - far too early once again.
To be precise: even a whole day earlier than in 2024.
What does that mean?
We use water, soil, air and raw materials much faster than they can regenerate.
The way we consume isn’t sustainable—it’s excessive.
And that was one of the reasons we founded wijld 10 years ago. Since then, we’ve been making clothing that isn’t just less harmful, but actually makes a difference.
Instead of conventional cotton or cheap synthetics, we mainly use an alternative, sustainable natural fiber: wood. Responsibly sourced, with an almost closed-loop production process—especially durable, extremely soft & gentle on the skin.
The result:
Since our first shirt, we’ve achieved a lot together with our community:
488,712,000 liters of water saved - enough drinking water for about 10,650 people for a whole year!
6,841,968 kg of CO₂ saved - enough to drive around the Earth 1,307 times!
73,307 liters of chemicals saved - that’s about 489 revolting, smelly and toxic bathtubs’ worth!
Numbers that tell a story:
There’s another way. Not perfect, but better.
Not at the expense of the environment, but in harmony with it.
Overshoot doesn’t start with the big things—but with the small ones.
With what we wear. What we buy. And whether we can still justify our consumption—or are simply continuing out of habit.
The fashion industry today accounts for around 10 % of global CO₂ emissions – more than all international flights and shipping combined. It is also responsible for 20% of industrial water pollution. Every year, around 92 million tonnes of textile waste end up in landfills worldwide.
Almost every second, somewhere in the world - usually far from us - an entire truckload of clothing is discarded. The environmental and social consequences are devastating.
Synthetic fibers also release microplastics, which enter the ocean through washing machines - with devastating consequences:
🐟 Animals mistake microplastics for food – fish, mussels, and even plankton ingest them. This can disrupt their digestion, leaving them to starve with full stomachs.
🧬 Plastic accumulates in the food chain – from plankton to humans. Studies show that we also ingest microplastics through seafood, salt, and drinking water.
🧪 Microplastics carry pollutants into the ocean – such as pesticides and plasticizers. These can be toxic and disrupt the hormonal systems of living organisms.
🌊 Ecosystems become unbalanced – microplastics affect habitats such as coral reefs and seagrass meadows, which are vital for absorbing CO₂ and supporting biodiversity.
And last but not least: clothing becomes emotionally overloaded - often as compensation, self-expression, or a reward. At the same time, the value we place on a garment declines.
The result: more and more, faster and faster - and ever more meaningless.
A T-shirt may be a small thing, but the impact it can have is huge.
Of course, we know that one shirt won’t save the world.
But it can make a statement: against throwaway fashion, against empty promises, against the misconception that growth must be limitless.
We want fashion that lasts – in your closet, on your conscience, and in its responsibility.
And we hope that one day Earth Overshoot Day will fall later in the year.
Year after year. Shirt by shirt.
Thank you for being part of this movement, because:
Every shirt counts!
