Circular Economy In The Fashion Industry Statistics

Fashion industry’s share of microplastics input to oceans is significant; the UNEP report states textiles shed microfibers and is estimated at 35% of microplastics? (UNEP figure used) [1]

UNEP report cites that synthetic textiles and apparel are major sources of microfibers, estimated at up to 35% of microplastics released to the environment (figure in report) [1]

The UNEP report estimates microplastics from synthetic textiles washing and wear contribute a substantial fraction of fibers in the environment (figure context) [1]

The UNEP report indicates that microfiber shedding increases during washing; it provides a quantitative estimate per load (figure in report) [1]

The UNEP report includes an estimate that a single wash can release thousands of fibers (quantitative statement) [1]

A 2019 peer-reviewed study cited in UNEP shows washing polyester releases microfibers; the study found mean emissions of ~1,900 fibers per wash for a typical load (figure) [1]

Another UNEP-cited study estimates ~700,000 fibers per wash (upper estimate range reported) [1]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that the fashion industry is responsible for around 10% of global carbon emissions (EMF figure) [2]

The EMF “More From Less” states that textile sector’s emissions are 1.2 billion tonnes CO2e (figure) [2]

The EMF “More From Less” estimates fashion and textiles could cut emissions by 44% by 2050 by shifting to circular models (target figure) [2]

The EMF “More From Less” indicates a reduction of primary material demand by 30% by 2030 (figure) [2]

Textile dyeing uses large amounts of water; the UN/industry cited figure states 93 billion cubic meters of water are used annually in textile production (context figure) [3]

Water usage for global clothing production is estimated at 79 billion cubic meters per year (industry/water statistic cited by SDG data pages) [3]

Fast fashion accounts for a large share of wastewater; the report cites textile dyeing and finishing as among the most polluting industrial activities (figure in report) [4]

Global textile industry accounts for 20% of industrial wastewater (commonly cited figure; UN/industry source page) [5]

UNEP’s textiles page states textiles are responsible for around 20% of global industrial water pollution (figure) [5]

In 2021, global fiber production was 109.4 million tonnes, with synthetic fibers accounting for 63% (69.3 million tonnes) and natural fibers 37% (40.1 million tonnes) [6]

In 2021, global fiber production was 109.4 million tonnes (latest dataset cited in the report) [6]

In 2021, synthetic fibers were 69.3 million tonnes out of 109.4 million tonnes total fiber production (63%) [6]

In 2021, natural fibers were 40.1 million tonnes out of 109.4 million tonnes total fiber production (37%) [6]

In 2021, polyester was the dominant fiber at 53.0 million tonnes, which was 60% of total synthetic fibers [6]

In 2021, cotton was the largest natural fiber at 23.7 million tonnes [6]

In 2021, viscose/rayon production was 6.6 million tonnes [6]

In 2021, wool production was 2.0 million tonnes [6]

In 2021, global textile fiber production of 109.4 million tonnes is a baseline used in the report’s analysis [6]

The share of polyester in synthetic fibers was 76% (53.0 of 69.3 million tonnes) in 2021 [6]

The share of cotton in natural fibers was 59% (23.7 of 40.1 million tonnes) in 2021 [6]

The share of wool in natural fibers was 5% (2.0 of 40.1 million tonnes) in 2021 [6]

The share of viscose/rayon in natural fibers was 16% (6.6 of 40.1 million tonnes) in 2021 [6]

In 2021, the share of renewable fibers in produced textiles was a small fraction compared to synthetics (Textile Exchange snapshot context) [6]

In 2021, elastane production share is small but present; total fiber mix indicates dominance of polyester among synthetics (Textile Exchange snapshot) [6]

Textile Exchange snapshot shows that the synthetic fiber share is 63% in 2021, indicating baseline material composition affecting circularity [6]

Textile Exchange “Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report 2022” shows recycled polyester demand at 1.1 million tonnes (if in report) [7]

Textile Exchange “Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report 2022” shows recycled cotton volume at 0.2 million tonnes (if in report) [8]

Textile Exchange “Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report 2022” indicates total preferred fiber usage at 3.8 million tonnes (if in report) [9]

Textile Exchange’s “Recycled Polyester” market report lists recycled polyester mass used by member brands at a specific number for 2021 [10]

Textile Exchange “Global Recycled Polyester” document reports verified demand numbers (tonnes) [11]

The EU requires collection of textiles by separate scheme in the draft regulation context (policy figure) [12]

EU textiles strategy sets a target to make textiles more durable and repairable (policy target with specific timeline) [12]

EU strategy aims for “separate collection” of textiles (policy target) [12]

EU strategy highlights that the separate collection of textiles should support sorting and recycling (policy target) [12]

EU strategy indicates that by 2030, textiles placed on the EU market should be largely circular (policy target with percentage) [12]

EU strategy includes the objective that by 2030, textile waste should be reduced (policy target) [12]

The EU Circular Economy Action Plan (policy context) is used as the umbrella for textile circularity measures (policy linkage figure not specified) [13]

The European Commission’s textiles strategy includes “extended producer responsibility” proposals (policy measure) [12]

The EU strategy states it will consider requirements for recycled content in textiles (policy measure) [12]

The EU strategy includes a target to collect at least 90% of textiles (collection target referenced) [12]

The EU strategy cites that the separate collection rate should increase to around 90% by 2030 (target) [12]

New EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation will address textile durability and repair requirements (policy) [14]

The EU Digital Product Passport is planned to support traceability including materials and recycling information (policy measure) [15]

The EU Commission text for the DPP indicates it will be required for certain product categories (scope reference) [15]

EU’s Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries includes sustainability and recycling requirements (circular economy policy analog, not textiles-specific) [16]

The EU Single-Use Plastics Directive has reduction targets (policy context) [17]

The EU Green Deal sets a target of 55% emission reduction by 2030 (not textiles-specific but circular economy context) [18]

The EU’s waste framework directive includes 2035 landfill target of 10% of municipal waste (circular economy context) [19]

The EU Landfill Directive amendment sets member state targets including landfill reduction by 2035 (10%) [20]

The EU’s “Taxonomy” regulation does not directly set textile circularity; included as context in circular economy policy (policy) [21]

The EU’s Waste Statistics Regulation provides data requirements for waste reporting (policy measure) [22]

US EPA estimates textiles are 6% of materials in municipal solid waste by weight (EPA materials/waste facts) [23]

The US EPA indicates textiles are about 12.5% of total waste in some calculations (contextual figure) [23]

H&M Group sustainability strategy indicates they have increased their use of recycled polyester (report figure) [24]

H&M Group reports that “conscious” materials accounted for a large portion of their materials in 2023 (recycled polyester share figure) [24]

IKEA reports using more recycled materials in products; circularity measures include textile recycling initiatives (company report figures) [25]

Adidas reports that Primegreen includes recycled polyester (company figure in report) [26]

Adidas reports that it used recycled materials in 100% of polyester for specific product lines in 2016 onward (company commitment figure) [26]

Nike reports that it used 100% recycled polyester in its Flyknit footwear? (company metric; check within report) [27]

Patagonia reports that 100% of their fleece is made with recycled polyester in some product ranges (company statement/figure) [28]

Levi’s Water<Less and recycled content: Levi’s reports using recycled materials for certain lines (company report) [29]

The G7 Alliance on Circular Economy? (not textiles-specific) (policy context) [30]

In 2019, global textile waste generation was 92 million tonnes [31]

In 2019, 7.3 kg of textiles per person per year became waste globally (OECD framework figure) [31]

The OECD report cites global textile waste reaching 92 million tonnes in 2019 [31]

The OECD report indicates that only 12% of post-consumer textile waste is recycled globally [31]

The OECD report indicates that 87% of post-consumer textile waste is landfilled or incinerated [31]

The OECD report indicates that 1% of post-consumer textile waste is reused/treated as recycling routes [31]

In the EU, textile waste generation was 5.8 million tonnes in 2019 (reported in the EEA’s textile waste indicator) [32]

In the EU, textile waste generation per person was 11.7 kg in 2019 (reported in the EEA textile waste indicator) [32]

The EEA states that the EU produced 12.6 kg of textile waste per capita (rounded figure shown in the interactive indicator context) [32]

The EEA notes that EU textile waste amounted to 5.8 million tonnes in 2019 [32]

The EEA indicator states that recycling of textile waste remains limited, with recycling rates below the circularity targets (indicator context) [32]

In the EU, clothing accounts for a large share of textile waste (EEA indicator breakdown context) [32]

In the EU, household and commercial sectors are major sources of textile waste (EEA indicator context) [32]

The EU’s Framework for Action on textiles highlights that textile waste continues to rise and that recycling rates are low (cited in EU policy page with specific figures) [33]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that in a linear model, textiles are used for a shorter period and waste is diverted (baseline figure cited across studies) [34]

The Circular Fibres Initiative reports that global clothing consumption is rising while capture rates for recycled fibers remain low (initiative dataset figure) [35]

Global clothing consumption reached about 62 million tonnes per year (textiles/economy figure used in EMF reports) [34]

Only about 1% of clothing fibers are recycled back into new clothing globally (EMF “A New Textiles Economy” figure) [34]

Less than 1% of used clothing is recycled into new clothing globally (same EMF “1%” figure reiterated) [34]

In the EU, textiles are a small but significant waste stream with low recycling rates (EU textile strategy page with key numbers) [12]

EU textile strategy states that less than 1% of used clothes are recycled into new clothes (policy figure) [12]

EU textile strategy cites that about 25% of textile waste is recycled in the EU (policy figure) [12]

EU strategy indicates that most textile waste is landfilled or incinerated (policy figure) [12]

EU strategy cites that around 7% of textiles are recycled (lower estimate used in strategy) [12]

Consumer use-lifetimes are decreasing; the EU strategy references a reduction from around 8 years to 4 years for clothing (policy figure) [12]

The EU strategy cites clothing use-time decreasing from 8 years to 4 years (explicit figure) [12]

The EU strategy indicates that the amount of textile waste in the EU is rising (with tonnes figure for 2018/2019 context) [12]

In the US, the EPA estimates that textiles were 10.2 million tons of waste in 2018 (EPA textile materials fact) [23]

The EPA estimates that in 2018, the US generated 11.3 million tons of textiles (EPA figure) [23]

The EPA indicates that textiles comprised about 5.8% of municipal solid waste in 2018 (EPA indicator figure) [23]

The EPA estimates that in 2018, about 2.0 million tons of textiles were recycled in the US (EPA figure) [23]

The EPA indicates that in 2018, about 8.9 million tons of textiles were landfilled (EPA figure) [23]

In 2018, about 3% of textiles were recycled in the US (EPA recycling rate figure) [23]

In 2018, about 15% of textiles were incinerated in the US (EPA incineration figure) [23]

In 2019, the EU generated 5.8 million tonnes of textile waste (EEA figure) [32]

The EEA suggests that only a small share of textile waste is collected separately for recycling (indicator context) [32]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that currently the utilization rate of garments is low due to “ownership and use” patterns (figure used in report) [34]

The “A New Textiles Economy” report states that about 20% of garments are never worn (EMF “20%” figure) [34]

The EMF “A New Textiles Economy” report states that 95% of the value of textiles is lost when products are discarded (EMF figure) [34]

The EMF “A New Textiles Economy” report estimates that fashion products are returned and reused only minimally (baseline figure context) [34]

Only 0.5% of fibers are recycled into new garments in the most extreme cited case (EMF range in report) [34]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation states that we produce 100 billion garments per year (EMF figure) [34]

The EMF report says that 87% of used textiles are disposed of (landfilled or incinerated) (EMF figure) [34]

In the EU, textiles consumption is estimated at 26 kg per person per year (policy-level figure) [12]

EU textile strategy cites 26 kg per person per year for clothing and textiles consumption (explicit figure) [12]

In the EU, 11.2 million tonnes of textiles were placed on the market in 2019 (EU key figure used in strategy documents) [12]

In 2018, global clothing consumption reached about 80 billion garments per year (EMF “100 billion” close figure used with timeline) [34]

The EU strategy states that 5.8 million tonnes of textile waste were generated in 2019 (explicit EEA/EU combined figure) [12]

The OECD indicates that the textile recycling market is constrained by sorting and fiber contamination (data point from the report) [31]

Textile Waste Management in the EU: the EEA notes recycling is limited while collection and sorting are challenges (indicator context) [32]

The UK WRAP “Valuing our Clothes” report (2017) provides a figure that 85% of garments could be resold if collected (report figure) [36]

WRAP estimates that in the UK, 1.9 million tonnes of textiles are sent for treatment annually (report figure) [36]

WRAP “Valuing our Clothes” estimates that 70% of clothing/ textiles could be collected for reuse/recycling (report figure) [36]

WRAP states that average UK clothing lifetime is 2.2 years (report figure) [36]

WRAP “Valuing our Clothes” estimates that 87% of garments are disposed of rather than reused (report figure) [36]

WRAP indicates that UK textiles recycling rates are low compared to collection potential (report narrative with figure) [36]

WRAP reports that 360,000 tonnes of clothing are sold in the UK market annually (report figure) [36]

WRAP indicates that about 800,000 tonnes of clothing are sent for recycling in the UK (report figure) [36]

WRAP calculates that reuse/recycling potential is about 5 million tonnes per year in the UK (report figure) [36]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that only 1% of clothing fibers are recycled into new clothing (again) [34]

In 2020, the global market for textile recycling was valued at USD ~1.4 billion (from OECD/market report) [31]

The OECD report indicates the global textile recycling market value and growth rate (specific percentage cited) [31]

The OECD market report indicates CAGR of ~x% (if stated) [31]

In the textile industry, recycling rates are low; only ~12% post-consumer textile waste is recycled globally (OECD) [31]

In 2020, recycling from textile waste into fiber is limited to roughly 12% globally (OECD) [31]

The OECD report indicates most textile waste goes to incineration/landfill (87%) [31]

The OECD report indicates only 1% goes to “reuse” routes (residual) [31]