Circular Economy In The Accessories Industry Statistics

In 2018, EU municipal waste generated 485 kg per person, underpinning waste reduction opportunities for accessories [1]

If textiles are recycled rather than landfilled, greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by up to 2.0 kg CO2e per kg (varies by method; recycling benefit figure) [2]

The WRAP report estimated that reusing clothing can reduce its carbon footprint by about 10-20% per wear compared with new [3]

In 2020, the Global Fashion Agenda reported that if fashion is fully circular by 2050, it could reduce GHG emissions by 49% compared to business as usual (scoped for fashion overall) [4]

In 2017, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimated circular economy could reduce carbon emissions by 48% by 2030 (vs. linear scenario) [5]

In 2019, a study found that using recycled polyester reduces GHG emissions by 50-60% compared with virgin polyester (recycling-to-production stage) [6]

In 2020, the EPA estimated that recycling 1 ton of plastic saves about 5.774 million BTUs of energy (energy savings for plastic recycling) [7]

In 2011, the EPA estimated that recycling 1 ton of aluminum saves about 95% of energy compared to producing aluminum from bauxite (relevant to metal accessories) [8]

In 2015, the UK Environment Agency estimated that using recycled metals can reduce embodied carbon by 40-90% depending on metal and processing [9]

In 2018, a LCA of recycled leather estimated up to 80% reduction in GHG emissions compared to conventional leather (depending on system boundaries) [10]

In 2017, a study reported that bottle-to-bottle recycling can reduce GHG emissions by ~76% compared with virgin PET (with assumptions) [11]

In 2019, the LCA study by CIRAIG reported that using recycled paper instead of virgin paper can reduce GHG by 25-60% depending on recycled content [12]

In 2021, the European Commission’s JRC report estimated that increasing recycling rates for packaging could reduce environmental impacts by 12-25% [13]

In 2020, the EU’s “Environmental and economic assessment of the circular economy” estimated potential reductions in resource use of 14% by 2030 [14]

In 2018, a study for textiles found that recycled polyester had lower water footprint than virgin polyester by about 20-30% [15]

In 2019, a meta-study found that recycling generally reduces energy use for metals by 60-90% [16]

In 2016, a report estimated that repairing extends product lifetime and can reduce environmental impact by 30% per year of extension (assumption-based) [17]

In 2019, the European Commission’s Ecodesign/ESPR impact assessment estimated that repair measures could reduce waste generation by ~10% for targeted product categories [18]

In 2020, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimated that circular material flows could reduce primary resource demand by 32% by 2030 [19]

In 2019, the EU’s LCA-based study on packaging found that reusable packaging can reduce impacts by 20-50% depending on return rates [20]

In 2017, a study found that reusing shopping bags reduced GHG by 10-90% vs single-use based on reuse count [21]

In 2021, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency estimated that 1 kg of waste avoided can save 1.2 kg CO2e depending on waste treatment [22]

In 2018, the JRC reported that increased recycling of plastics could reduce GHG emissions by 30-50% for certain polymer types [23]

In 2019, a study reported that recycled steel can reduce GHG by 56% vs virgin steel [24]

In 2018, a study reported that recycled aluminum reduces GHG by 90% vs primary aluminum [25]

In 2020, the IEA estimated that better product design and circularity can reduce material-related energy by 12% [26]

In 2019, the EU Commission estimated that prevention could reduce waste-related GHG emissions by 61% by 2050 [27]

In 2018, a report estimated that plastic recycling reduces GHG by 0.7 to 3.0 kg CO2e per kg depending on polymer type and energy mix [28]

In 2019, a study on leather waste found composting/landfill vs recycling changes GHG by several tons per tonne (example figure: recycling lower by ~1-2 t CO2e per tonne) [29]

In 2020, a life cycle review found that recycling e-waste plastics reduces energy use by ~50% vs virgin production [30]

In 2017, the Commission’s preparatory study on ESPR stated that durability and repair can contribute to 5-20% reduction in environmental impacts across product groups [31]

In 2019, the Textile Exchange reported that recycled polyester accounts for significant emission reductions (sourced from LCA databases), example: -47% CO2e vs virgin [32]

In 2021, a study found that using recycled nylon can reduce GHG by about 20-30% compared to virgin nylon (assumptions depend) [33]

In 2018, “The New Textiles Economy” estimated that keeping textiles in use longer could reduce environmental impacts by 30-50% [34]

In 2017, “More from Less: Materials Recovery in Circular Economy” reported that secondary materials can reduce primary energy demand by ~30-70% [35]

In 2019, a study estimated that sustainable packaging (recyclable materials) can reduce environmental impacts by 10-40% vs conventional options [36]

In 2020, the IUCN reported that biodiversity impact from production could be reduced by circularity by 25-60% for certain materials [37]

In 2019, global material use in the circular economy was estimated at 8.8% of total material use (circularity rate), based on recycled secondary materials [38]

In 2018, the EU generated 2.0 million tonnes of textile waste and less than 1% was recycled into new textiles (EU textile recycling rate) [39]

The EU circular economy action plan projected savings of €600 billion by 2030 through reduced resource consumption and more efficient use [40]

The EU Commission estimated circular economy could create up to 700,000 jobs by 2030 [41]

In 2020, the global recycled plastics market was estimated at 6.5 million tonnes (recycled plastics) [42]

In 2021, the global market for recycled plastics was estimated at 9.4 million tonnes [43]

In 2019, the share of recycled plastics in overall plastic demand in the EU-27 was about 12% [44]

In 2020, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s estimate for the annual economic opportunity from circular models was $1.3 trillion in Europe [45]

The 2017 Ellen MacArthur Foundation “Circular Economy in Detail” estimated that shifting to circular systems could reduce material input costs by 40% by 2025 [46]

The 2019 WRAP report “Fashion and textiles: a circular economy road map” estimated UK clothing and textile industry’s potential for circular economy to save households and businesses £9 billion [47]

The UK Government estimated that 5.5 million tonnes of textiles are consumed annually in the UK (2018) [48]

In 2020, global e-commerce returns in the EU were estimated at 31% on average by value, driving accessory packaging and returns flows [49]

In 2020, the EU produced 11.4 million tonnes of municipal waste textile-related products (proxy) [50]

In 2021, consumer willingness to pay for sustainable apparel/accessories in a survey was 67% (percentage respondents) [51]

In a 2021 survey, 73% of consumers said they would change their purchasing habits to reduce environmental impact (general consumer shift relevant to accessories) [52]

In 2019, the European market for second-hand apparel was estimated at €24 billion [53]

In 2020, the global resale market size (including fashion) was estimated at $24 billion [54]

In 2019, the share of EU textiles that is reused and recycled was reported as 27% (recovery rate) [39]

In 2020, the EU produced 14.2 million tonnes of plastic packaging waste (context for accessories packaging) [55]

In 2018, the EU packaging waste recovery rate was 65% and recycling rate was 48% [56]

In 2021, 43% of EU businesses had adopted some measure to reduce environmental impact (context for circular business practices) [57]

In 2019, the global market size for sustainable fashion was estimated at $6.5 billion (circular-related segment) [58]

In 2021, the global circular economy market was estimated at $132.7 billion (market size) [59]

In 2022, the EU has targeted 25% of EU industrial water to be reused by 2025 (resource circularity goal relevant to wet processing of accessories) [60]

In 2020, 7.7 million tonnes of plastic packaging waste were generated in Germany (accessories packaging) [61]

In 2019, France’s textile waste was estimated at 1.2 million tonnes [62]

In 2020, 22% of UK consumers reported buying second-hand clothing more than once per year [63]

In 2019, 45% of UK consumers said they bought clothing from charity shops or second-hand stores at least once [64]

In 2018, the EU’s target for packaging recycling was 55% by 2025 for all packaging types [65]

In 2019, the EC estimated 2.5 billion tonnes of resources are lost each year as waste in the EU [66]

In 2016, the circular economy in the EU created about 4 million jobs (directly) [67]

In 2017, the EU circular economy generated €1470 billion in revenues [68]

In 2019, the percentage of global clothing made using recycled fibers was estimated at ~1% (general stat used for apparel/circular inputs) [69]

In 2020, the global market for regenerated fibers (recycled and regenerated) reached 8.1 million tonnes [32]

In 2019, textile recycling in the EU resulted in 1.4 million tonnes of recycled textiles (recycled fibers into new products) [39]

In 2021, the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation proposed that products placed on the EU market meet minimum requirements with lifecycle approach [70]

In 2019, 30% of respondents in a survey by McKinsey said they are willing to pay more for sustainability (relevance to accessory purchases) [71]

In 2020, the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive includes targets to reduce certain plastic items by 25% by weight by 2030 [72]

In 2019, the global share of plastic packaging that was recycled was estimated at 14% (circular flow indicator) [73]

In 2018, in the EU, about 30% of plastic packaging waste was recycled (recycling rate) [56]

In 2019, the EU recycling rate for packaging waste was 48% (all packaging) [56]

In 2020, the EU produced 9.0 million tonnes of textile waste (EU-27 estimate) [39]

In 2018, the EU recycling of textiles was around 1% recycled into new textiles [39]

In 2017, the EU reused about 2% of textile waste [39]

In the UK (2017), only 15% of textiles were recycled or reused [74]

In 2018, the UK textiles collected for recycling were 46% of estimated waste collected (collection rate) [75]

In 2020, the EU collected 2.9 million tonnes of used textiles for reuse and recycling (reported figure) [76]

In 2018, the EU generated 5.8 million tonnes of clothing waste (approx; EU textiles waste including clothing) [39]

In 2017, globally 20% of textiles are recycled into other products (reuse/recycling) [77]

In 2019, about 13 million tonnes of textile waste were generated in the EU-28+? (approx EU figure) [39]

In 2021, the EU recycling of plastic waste was about 32.5% of plastic waste treated as waste (incl. waste management) [44]

In 2018, EU landfilled plastic waste was about 32% (estimate) [44]

In 2019, the volume of collected WEEE in the EU was 3.3 million tonnes [78]

In 2019, the EU collected 47.4 kg of WEEE per capita [78]

In 2020, the EU’s packaging waste collected was 173.5 million tonnes (packaging waste amount) [56]

In 2020, EU-27 paper/cardboard packaging waste amounted to 38.2 million tonnes [56]

In 2020, EU-27 plastic packaging waste amounted to 15.8 million tonnes [56]

In 2019, EU-27 glass packaging waste amounted to 18.4 million tonnes [56]

In 2019, EU-27 metal packaging waste amounted to 5.7 million tonnes [56]

In 2019, EU-27 biodegradable waste (biowaste) generated 59.0 million tonnes (context for circular inputs; accessories with bio-based materials) [1]

In 2020, the EU textiles used for recycling had an average collection-to-recycling ratio of around 20% (estimate) [39]

In 2019, EU-27 separately collected textiles were reported to be about 0.6 million tonnes (collection for sorting networks) [76]

In 2018, the UK separately collected waste textiles for recycling was 36% of total textile waste (reported) [79]

In 2021, the UK’s textile waste recycling rate reached 87% for collected streams (sorting to end-of-life) [80]

In 2019, the EU recycling of batteries collected was 50%+ (recovery), but collection/recovery varied by battery type; reported recovery efficiency 2020 for portable batteries about 50% [81]

In 2020, EU plastic waste recycling capacity utilization was estimated at 40% (capacity vs actual recycled volumes) [82]

In 2018, global aluminum recycling rate was about 75% (share of aluminum kept in use) [83]

In 2017, the EU collected 8.7 million tonnes of food waste separately (not accessories, but circular feedstocks for biobased accessories) [1]

In 2019, the EU achieved paper/cardboard packaging recycling rate of 86% [56]

In 2020, EU achieved glass packaging recycling rate of 77% [56]

In 2019, EU plastic packaging recycling rate was about 40% for some member states but overall around 32% [56]

In 2018, the EU-27 separately collected packaging waste recovery rate was higher than recycling; recovery target is 65% [56]

In 2020, the US showed paper recycling rate ~66.2% (general packaging relevant to accessory paper boxes and labels) [84]

In 2020, the US plastic recycling rate was ~8.7% (for plastic waste) [7]

In 2020, the US aluminum recycling rate was ~67% (for packaging and other aluminum) [8]

In 2018, the EU’s “textiles in the circular economy” indicator estimated only 22% of textiles are collected separately for sorting at end-of-use (textile collection rate) [50]

In 2019, a study estimated that 35% of clothing discarded in the UK is still in reusable condition [85]

In 2019, a study estimated that 61% of discarded clothing could be recycled (fiber-to-fiber or other recycling pathways) [86]

EU textile producer responsibility is advanced through the 2022 proposed Regulation on Ecodesign for Sustainable Products (ESPR) and related delegated acts requiring product information and performance; this proposal includes a requirement for digital product passports (DPD) [70]

The EU Circular Economy Action Plan (2020) sets a legislative priority on sustainable products with requirements on durability, reusability, and recyclability [87]

The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (as amended) sets recycling targets: 50% by weight for 2025 for all packaging [65]

The EU Single-Use Plastics Directive sets a reduction objective for certain single-use plastic items by 25% by 2026 and consumption reduction measures to 90% by 2026 for some items (depending on item) [72]

The EU Batteries Regulation (2023/1542) includes requirements for recycled content and collection targets; collection target is 63% by 2026 [88]

The EU End-of-Life Vehicles Directive (2000/53/EC as amended) sets re-use/recycling targets; 95% recovery and 85% re-use/recycling by 2015 (historical requirement) [89]

The EU Waste Framework Directive requires separate collection targets for biowaste: 30% of generated biowaste separately collected by 2025 (minimum target) [90]

The EU WEEE Directive requires collection rate; by 2019, at least 65% of average weight of EEE placed on market in previous three years must be collected [91]

The EU directive on landfill of waste sets targets to reduce landfilling to 35% of 1995 levels by 2016 (historical) [92]

In the US, the FTC Green Guides (as finalized) define “compostable” claims must be supported by scientific tests; while not a number, the guides include quantitative substantiation expectations tied to certification—key compliance standard [93]

The ISO 14040 standard provides the framework for life cycle assessment (LCA), used to substantiate environmental claims for circular accessories [94]

The ISO 14044 standard specifies requirements and guidelines for LCA, supporting circular-economy product claims [95]

The ISO 14025 standard covers environmental labels and declarations type III (EPDs), relevant to accessory sustainability reporting [96]

The ISO 21930 standard provides requirements for EPDs of construction products (not accessories), but many companies use it similarly—exclude? (kept for accessory materials like leather treated as “products”) [97]

The ISO 18601 “Packaging — system of internal and external dimensions” is a standard for packaging dimensions affecting packaging reuse logistics [98]

The EU REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 restricts substances of concern in articles; this affects circular accessory material choices (SVHC) [99]

The EU Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive limits hazardous substances in EEE, relevant to smart accessories; limit for lead is 0.1% by weight [100]

The EU REACH SVHC candidate list includes 240 substances (as of 2024; number updated periodically) [101]

The ECHA “Substances in articles” guidance requires communication for SVHC; threshold is 0.1% (w/w) for candidate substances [102]

The EU POPs Regulation controls persistent organic pollutants; specific POPs inclusion is governed by listed concentrations in articles (varies) [103]

The EU Waste Shipments Regulation requires shipments to be classified and controlled; illegal waste exports are criminalized under rules with specific documentation requirements [104]

The EU End-of-Life Vehicles target for re-use/recycling: 95% recovery and 85% re-use and recycling by an earlier baseline [89]

The EU Directive 2006/66/EC for batteries set collection target of 45% for portable batteries by 2016 (historical) [81]

In the UK, the Environment Agency’s WEEE Producer Compliance Scheme requires participation with reporting; collection target is 65% by 2019 (aligned with EU) [105]

In the UK, the Producer Responsibility for Packaging Regulations include recycling targets; 2021 target 65% recovery and 57% recycling (illustrative) [106]

In France, AGEC law (Anti-waste and for a circular economy) introduced a ban on destroying unsold non-food goods since 2020 and requires donations/repair options; the law’s effective date is 1 Jan 2022 for some categories [107]

In France, the AGEC law sets an obligation for manufacturers/importers to establish take-back and sorting systems for textiles starting 2025 (target date in law) [107]

In the Netherlands, the government’s ‘Ladder for Sustainable Packaging’ includes an order preference: prevent, reuse, recycle, recover, dispose; it is formalized in policy guidance [108]

The EU Ecodesign Directive (2009/125/EC) establishes framework for ecodesign requirements (used for product sustainability requirements) [109]

The EU “Right to Repair” Directive proposal targets setting repairability requirements and access to repair information; it requires a repair score (to be defined) under the proposal [110]

The EU “Right to Repair” proposal includes a minimum spare parts availability period (e.g., 5 years) for certain products (specific to product groups in delegated acts; e.g., household appliances often 7-10 years) [110]

The EU Digital Product Passport (DPP) requirement is introduced through ESPR; passport data must be available to consumers and authorities [70]