True Cost Per Wear Calculator
What your clothes really cost — in dollars, carbon, and water.
Calculation results
Cost per wear = price ÷ expected wears. The lower, the better value for money.
Eco score = how sustainable this garment is, rated A–F. A cheap garment can still score poorly here.
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| Yours | Fast fashion | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost/wear | — | — |
| CO₂/wear | — | — |
| Water/wear | — | — |
| Lifespan | — | — |
| Grade | — | — |
Fast fashion benchmarks use typical low-cost materials and price points for each garment type. Tees, jeans, hoodies, and underwear use conventional cotton as the comparison proxy; dresses, jackets, activewear, and shoes use synthetic materials. Treat the figures as directional estimates, not brand-specific measurements.
How we calculate lifespan estimates
We start with a base lifespan for each garment type (e.g. 200 wears for a t-shirt, 300 for shoes) and adjust it based on two factors:
- Material durability — hemp is roughly 3x more durable than conventional cotton, while vegan leather (PU) typically wears out faster.
- Brand quality tier — fast fashion (0.6x), mid-range (1.0x), sustainable/certified (1.4x).
Formula: Expected wears = Base wears × Material durability × Quality tier
Material environmental data sources
Our material data comes from lifecycle assessment (LCA) studies and industry research:
- Organic cotton uses 91% less water and produces 46% fewer CO₂ emissions vs conventional
- Linen requires 98% less water to grow than cotton
- Hemp is approximately 3x stronger than cotton, needs 50% less water
- Recycled polyester: 32% less CO₂ than virgin, but still sheds microplastics
Water figures use “blue water” (freshwater withdrawn from rivers, lakes, and aquifers), not total water footprint which includes rainwater. This gives a fairer comparison across materials. All figures are approximations — actual impact varies by production methods, supply chain, and geography.
Our fast fashion comparison also uses category-level proxies rather than a single real product. We pair each garment with a typical low-cost material and price for that category so the benchmark stays readable and consistent.
About the eco score
The eco score (A–F) is separate from cost per wear. A garment can be cheap per wear but terrible for the planet, or expensive per wear but far better overall. The score is a composite out of 100:
- Material footprint (40 pts) — lower CO₂ and water = higher
- Durability (25 pts) — more durable materials + better construction
- Ethics (20 pts) — sustainable/certified brands score highest
- End of life (15 pts) — biodegradable materials score highest
A ≥ 85 · B ≥ 70 · C ≥ 55 · D ≥ 40 · F < 40
Tips to extend its lifespan
How Cost Per Wear Works
Cost per wear is a simple but powerful idea: divide what you paid for a garment by the number of times you actually wear it. A $120 pair of sustainable jeans worn 300 times works out to $0.40 per wear. A $25 pair of fast fashion jeans that falls apart after 40 wears costs $0.63 per wear — and you'll need to buy replacements.
But the financial cost is only part of the story. Every garment carries an environmental cost too: the carbon emitted to produce it, the water consumed to grow and process the fabric, and the waste it creates at the end of its life. Our calculator factors all of this in.
Why Material Choice Matters
The fabric your clothing is made from has a dramatic impact on its environmental footprint. Conventional cotton uses roughly 2,700 litres of water for a single t-shirt. Tencel (lyocell) uses a fraction of that and is produced in a closed-loop process that recycles 99% of solvents. Linen needs 98% less water than cotton and requires no pesticides.
Material also determines how long your clothes last. Hemp fibres are roughly three times stronger than cotton, meaning hemp garments can last years longer. Meanwhile, synthetic fabrics like nylon and virgin polyester are durable but aren't biodegradable — they sit in landfills for hundreds of years and shed microplastics into waterways with every wash.
The Hidden Cost of Fast Fashion
The fashion industry is responsible for 8.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions — more than aviation and shipping combined. We keep clothes for 40% less time than we did 15 years ago, and 85% of all textiles end up in landfills or are incinerated. Fast fashion's low prices come at a high environmental cost.
By thinking in terms of cost per wear — both financial and environmental — you can make smarter choices that save money in the long run and reduce your impact on the planet.
Find Better Alternatives
Our brand directory features over 200 sustainable and ethical fashion brands, searchable by category, certification, price range, and more. Once you've calculated your cost per wear, explore brands that offer better value for your wallet and the planet.