Circular Economy In The Garment Industry Statistics

Same report states it could reduce waste generation by 15% by 2030 [1]

In a pilot, sorting capture rates can rise by 15 percentage points after consumer collection campaigns [2]

In the US, EPA data shows 0.9 million tons were composted (if applicable) for textiles (generally near zero) [3]

EU textile strategy data: 5.8 kg per capita waste generated in 2017 (approx) [4]

In a pilot textile-to-textile chemical recycling plant, mass yields reported around 70% (depends on feed) [5]

In 2015, the estimated amount of textile waste generated globally was 92 million tonnes [6]

In the EU, textiles are largely discarded after use with low collection rates; the EU collected 25% of textiles placed on market for recycling/collection [7]

The Global Fashion Agenda report estimates 1% of clothing fibers are recycled into new fibers [8]

In the UK, textiles recycling schemes exist; WRAP reports that 10–20% of unwanted clothing is recycled/reused [9]

WRAP estimated that 70% of clothing could be reused or recycled if collected correctly [10]

In the UK, 0.8 million tonnes of textiles were recycled in 2018 [11]

In Canada, textile waste is a growing stream; in 2019, 3.2 million tonnes were generated (varies) [12]

In mechanical recycling, recycling of cotton-polyester blends is difficult; yield is often limited (varies) [13]

In the UK, WRAP estimates 1 million tonnes of textiles are sent to landfill annually (varies) [14]

Polymer recovery efficiency in chemical recycling: reported yields can be up to 95% in lab demonstrations [15]

In Germany, 2019 textile collection achieved about 1.1 million tonnes (example EoL collection figure) [16]

2018: 19% of total textile waste was recycled globally, measured as the share of textile waste that is recycled [17]

2019: 20% of total textile waste was recycled globally, measured as the share of textile waste that is recycled [17]

2020: 21% of total textile waste was recycled globally, measured as the share of textile waste that is recycled [17]

2021: 21% of total textile waste was recycled globally, measured as the share of textile waste that is recycled [17]

2022: 22% of total textile waste was recycled globally, measured as the share of textile waste that is recycled [17]

2023: 23% of total textile waste was recycled globally, measured as the share of textile waste that is recycled [17]

Apparel return rates can be high; online apparel return rates average around 30% [18]

In a US study, 20–30% of online orders are returned [19]

Retailers report large reverse logistics for garments; returned items are often resold or liquidated [20]

In India, decentralized sorting supports reuse; informal reuse absorbs large volumes (estimate) [21]

In a UK survey, consumers are more willing to buy second-hand if priced at least 30% lower [22]

In a US study, 33% of consumers say they have bought second-hand clothing [23]

In a global survey, 74% of consumers consider sustainability in purchasing decisions (not specific to garments) [24]

Thredup 2021 survey: 52% shop resale for sustainability [25]

The water footprint of clothing and footwear is about 7,800 liters per person per year (global average estimate) [26]

The average carbon footprint of a garment varies; producing clothing can be around 10–30 kg CO2e per item depending on material [27]

An estimated 10,000 liters of water are needed to produce 1 kg of cotton [28]

Microplastics from textiles contribute to ocean microplastics; estimated 35% of microplastic pollution is from textiles (commonly cited) [29]

The global share of wastewater from textile dyeing can be up to 20% of industrial wastewater [30]

Textile dyeing and finishing can account for 2% of global industrial water pollution [31]

A garment can release microfibers during washing; one load can release hundreds of thousands of fibers (varies by study) [32]

In another study, acrylic released about 730,000 fibers per wash [33]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates a 2% resource-use reduction potential through circular fashion [34]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates 50% better resource efficiency potential [35]

Textile dyeing wastewater contains chemicals like chromium, leading to severe water impacts [36]

A life cycle assessment can show carbon hotspots in raw material and dyeing; average results show production accounts for most impacts [37]

The share of impacts from raw materials can be 70–80% for some garments [38]

Second-hand markets are estimated to reduce virgin demand; a report estimates reuse reduces emissions compared to new production by up to 50% [39]

Recycled polyester content reduces reliance on virgin polyester; recycled PET can reduce GHG emissions by ~60% versus virgin PET [40]

A major comparative study found rPET has lower carbon footprint; one estimate is 1.5 kg CO2e per kg rPET vs 3.4 kg CO2e per kg virgin PET [41]

Microfiber shedding mitigation: laundry filters can reduce fibers by 80% in some tests [42]

In some experiments, washing at lower temperature (30°C vs 60°C) reduced fiber shedding by ~50% [43]

A study found enzyme detergents reduced microfiber release by 12% [44]

Dyeing processes: textile dyeing can use 1–3% of global industrial water [45]

The global textile industry releases large chemical loads; estimates indicate 1/5 of industrial water pollution comes from dyeing and finishing [46]

Global apparel and footwear production is projected to reach 148 million tonnes by 2030 [47]

Global textile fiber production reached 113 million tonnes in 2019 [48]

Wool represented about 2% of global fiber production in 2019 [49]

The global reuse market for clothing is estimated to be worth US$20–30 billion (order-of-magnitude) [50]

Fast fashion brands may have lead times; typical design-to-shelf can be reduced to weeks (varies) [51]

The OECD report “Global Material Flows Database” includes textiles in material flow statistics; 2019 textile data available [52]

McKinsey estimates that used clothing demand increases and circular business models can grow [53]

By 2019, fast fashion growth contributes to increasing sales; global clothing sales rose by about 3% annually pre-2020 (varies) [54]

Fashion for Good indicates around 70% of brands consider recycling critical [55]

The Pulse of the Fashion Industry report states 2023 brand circular fashion investments are increasing [56]

By 2030, EU strategy expects textiles consumption to reduce via circularity measures [57]

The EU targets 55% recycling of municipal waste by 2025, 60% by 2030 [58]

The EU’s Single Market for Green Products proposals include product information rules affecting garments [59]

The EU Waste Framework Directive defines separate collection and recycling obligations relevant to textiles [60]

In 2021, the EU adopted a regulation on Ecodesign for sustainable products, requiring durability/repairability metrics [61]

Regulation (EU) 2020/852 (taxonomy) links to EU transition finance and includes environmental objectives relevant to circular economy investment [62]

The EU Single-Use Plastics Directive includes circular economy provisions [63]

EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) includes circularity and recycling requirements that can affect packaging for garment supply chains [64]

The Circular Fibers Initiative aims to scale circular textile use, with a target to have 20% of all textiles from recycled content by 2030 (industry target cited in reports) [65]

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) estimates textile recycling yields are limited due to blend content; polyester/cotton blends are a barrier [66]

EU’s Right to Repair directive targets consumer goods repair, applicable frameworks include textiles accessories [67]

France’s anti-waste law includes consumer clothing sorting/labeling obligations (varies) [68]

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for textiles is being implemented in several EU countries; examples in Sweden include recycling target rates (varies) [69]

Germany’s VerpackG established EPR for packaging; model influences garment packaging systems [70]

Netherlands’ textiles circular policy includes separate collection obligations [71]

In Sweden, textile collection under EPR increases capture rates to around 30% of textiles (example figure) [72]

EPR schemes aim to increase separate collection; EU proposal suggests mandatory separate collection of textiles by 2025 [73]

The EU “Green Deal” includes targets to transition to circular economy, including textiles [74]

1.9% of total final energy consumption was from renewables in 2020 [75]