Various claims have been made about how much water is used in the production of a pair of jeans, that cornerstone of casual clothing. With growing worries over the environmental impact of denim production, More or Less decided to investigate - with the help of journalist and researcher Elizabeth L. Cline who has written extensively on sustainability and the fashion industry. This programme was first broadcast in July 2022. Presenter: Tim Harford Producers: Lizzy McNeill, Jon Bithrey Programme Coordinator: Brenda Brown Sound engineer: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon (A worker sews blue jeans in a textile company in Xintang, China, dubbed the 'denim jeans capital of the world'. Photo: Lucas Schifres/Getty images)

US president Donald Trump is no fan of wind turbines, or windmills as he calls them.Not only does he think they ruin the view from a golf course he owns in Scotland, but they are also deadly to birds.“If you love birds, you’d never want to walk under a windmill,” he said in 2019. ... Show More

Sometimes it is obvious to everyone when an idea is harmful, or a piece of advice is damaging. But not always. Occasionally bad ideas and terrible advice end up being accepted in society and supported by people in authority.In such circumstances, one of the most powerful tools fo ... Show More

When you’re listening to the news, you will often hear words that are meant to communicate the probability of something happening. A terrorist attack is “a realistic possibility”, the spread of a certain strain of virus is “highly likely", the relegation of your favourite footbal ... Show More

What are you wearing today? What processes, chemical and otherwise, have gone into creating the garments in your wardrobe? And how might they be improved, honed, transformed in the future?Professor of Materials & Society at UCL, Mark Miodownik, Dr Jane Wood, Lecturer at the Unive ... Show More

<p>Les jeans, aujourd’hui omniprésents dans le monde entier, doivent leur couleur bleue emblématique à des raisons historiques, pratiques et économiques. L’origine de cette teinte remonte au XIXe siècle, lorsqu’un tissu robuste, appelé « denim », a été teinté avec de l’indigo, un ... Show More

Episode #23 Yes you read the title right. Turns out 99% people wear washed jeans while the other 1% is involved in the fascinating subculture of raw and selvedge denim. The episode deep dives into all aspects of jeans and why a pair should last you a lifetime.--An all-around bon- ... Show More

2008, Hungary: a researcher stands on a factory floor quizzing a bemused employee. The tile manufacturing company is in trouble, and the researcher is there to help. But his questions seem silly: Who do you go to for advice? Who do you chat to? What use is the science of networks ... Show More

Hydroelectricity is the world’s biggest source of renewable energy, and dams have long been a popular - if controversial - way to fast-track development and boost economies. Jordan Dunbar is in Thailand, a country that has been transformed by hydropower. He meets Thais who've bee ... Show More

This is a show about globalization, fashion design, and the future of manufacturing-based economic growth. For a breather from the election chaos, ChinaTalk interviewed Will Lasry, Montreal-based designer, manufacturing specialist, and founder of Glass Factory. Will and his team ... Show More

New York City's Brooklyn Navy Yard has evolved from a collection of warehouses into a model for 21st-century manufacturing, where climate-tech, smart city solutions, and advanced fabrication companies grow alongside distilleries, designers, and robotics startups. Now, the mission ... Show More

Summer heatwaves and missed bin collections have created panic in the press that rat numbers in the UK are increasing. We ask Steve Belmain, Professor of Ecology at the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Greenwich for the science. This summer Wales became the first ... Show More

This week Woman’s Hour has featured the Forgotten Children series about the impact on children when a parent is sent to prison. So what do the Government intend to do about the problem? Anita Rani speaks to Labour MP Jake Richards and Conservative MP Richard Holden about the poss ... Show More

<p>Il y a près de 15 ans, l’affaire Kerviel secouait la Société Générale. Une série documentaire revient sur ses rouages en donnant la parole à ses protagonistes. Dans « La Story », le podcast d’actualité des « Echos », Pierrick Fay et ses invités analysent à ... Show More

Does it take 10,000 litres of water to m...