Circular Economy In The Garment Industry Statistics

The average consumer buys 60% more apparel than they did 15 years ago [1]

The average garment is kept in use for half as long as it was 15 years ago [1]

Apparel return rates can be high; online apparel return rates average around 30% [2]

In a US study, 20–30% of online orders are returned [3]

Retailers report large reverse logistics for garments; returned items are often resold or liquidated [4]

In India, decentralized sorting supports reuse; informal reuse absorbs large volumes (estimate) [5]

Consumer behavior shift: increasing clothing use through resale platforms can extend lifetime by multiple wear cycles; reported average is 2–3 times longer [6]

In a UK survey, consumers are more willing to buy second-hand if priced at least 30% lower [7]

In a US study, 33% of consumers say they have bought second-hand clothing [8]

In a global survey, 74% of consumers consider sustainability in purchasing decisions (not specific to garments) [9]

Thredup 2021 survey: 61% of respondents said they shop resale for affordability [10]

Thredup 2021 survey: 52% shop resale for sustainability [10]

The fashion industry is responsible for 8–10% of global greenhouse-gas emissions [11]

The water footprint of clothing and footwear is about 7,800 liters per person per year (global average estimate) [11]

Clothing production uses significant water; the life cycle water footprint of producing a T-shirt is 2,720 liters [12]

An estimated 10,000 liters of water are needed to produce 1 kg of cotton [13]

The average carbon footprint of a garment varies; producing clothing can be around 10–30 kg CO2e per item depending on material [12]

Microplastics from textiles contribute to ocean microplastics; estimated 35% of microplastic pollution is from textiles (commonly cited) [14]

The global share of wastewater from textile dyeing can be up to 20% of industrial wastewater [15]

Textile dyeing and finishing can account for 2% of global industrial water pollution [16]

A garment can release microfibers during washing; one load can release hundreds of thousands of fibers (varies by study) [17]

In a study, washing polyester fabric released about 700,000 microfibers per wash [18]

In another study, acrylic released about 730,000 fibers per wash [18]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates a 2% resource-use reduction potential through circular fashion [19]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions possible through circular clothing [20]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates 50% better resource efficiency potential [20]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates circular textiles could reduce emissions by 44% by 2030 [1]

In the US, textiles contribute 5.8 million metric tons of CO2e annually from landfilling (estimate) [21]

Extending garment lifetime by 9 months can reduce environmental impacts by 20–30% [1]

Reusing clothing at scale can reduce resource extraction and emissions; a widely cited estimate is 4 times more value from reuse than recycling [1]

Textile dyeing wastewater contains chemicals like chromium, leading to severe water impacts [22]

A life cycle assessment can show carbon hotspots in raw material and dyeing; average results show production accounts for most impacts [23]

The share of impacts from raw materials can be 70–80% for some garments [24]

Second-hand markets are estimated to reduce virgin demand; a report estimates reuse reduces emissions compared to new production by up to 50% [25]

Recycled polyester content reduces reliance on virgin polyester; recycled PET can reduce GHG emissions by ~60% versus virgin PET [26]

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 [27]

The report “A New Textiles Economy” states that by 2030, the circular approach could reduce demand for primary resources by 32% [1]

Same report states circular economy could reduce primary fiber demand by 30% by 2030 [1]

Same report states it could reduce GHG emissions by 44% by 2030 [1]

Same report states it could reduce wastewater by 20% by 2030 [1]

Microfiber shedding mitigation: laundry filters can reduce fibers by 80% in some tests [28]

In some experiments, washing at lower temperature (30°C vs 60°C) reduced fiber shedding by ~50% [29]

A study found enzyme detergents reduced microfiber release by 12% [30]

Dyeing processes: textile dyeing can use 1–3% of global industrial water [31]

The global textile industry releases large chemical loads; estimates indicate 1/5 of industrial water pollution comes from dyeing and finishing [32]

Global apparel and footwear production is projected to reach 148 million tonnes by 2030 [33]

Textile fiber production in the EU rose to 8.7 million tonnes in 2018 [34]

Global textile fiber production reached 113 million tonnes in 2019 [35]

Synthetic fibers accounted for about 79% of global fiber production by 2019 [36]

Natural fibers accounted for about 21% of global fiber production by 2019 [36]

Polyester remains dominant, representing 52% of all textile fiber produced globally in 2019 [36]

Cotton accounted for 23% of all fibers produced globally in 2019 [36]

Wool represented about 2% of global fiber production in 2019 [36]

The global reuse market for clothing is estimated to be worth US$20–30 billion (order-of-magnitude) [37]

In the EU, 5.8 million tonnes of textiles are put on the market annually [34]

Fast fashion brands may have lead times; typical design-to-shelf can be reduced to weeks (varies) [38]

The OECD report “Global Material Flows Database” includes textiles in material flow statistics; 2019 textile data available [39]

McKinsey estimates that used clothing demand increases and circular business models can grow [40]

A European Commission estimate: 20% of textiles sold in the EU are synthetic [41]

In the EU, polyester is the largest textile fiber by production share, about 55% [34]

Global reuse and recycling of textiles creates jobs; EU report estimates 46,000 direct jobs in repair/reuse (illustrative) [34]

By 2019, fast fashion growth contributes to increasing sales; global clothing sales rose by about 3% annually pre-2020 (varies) [42]

EU textile strategy data: 25 kg per capita consumption of textiles in 2017 (approx) [34]

“Fashion for Good” reports that 62% of brands say they are working on circularity initiatives [43]

Fashion for Good indicates around 70% of brands consider recycling critical [43]

The Pulse of the Fashion Industry report states 2023 brand circular fashion investments are increasing [44]

The EU targets 55% recycling of municipal waste by 2025, 60% by 2030 [45]

The EU Circular Economy Action Plan aims to make sustainable products the norm and sets targets including a circularity target for textiles [46]

The EU Waste Framework Directive defines separate collection and recycling obligations relevant to textiles [47]

The EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) sets a framework for product sustainability requirements [48]

Regulation (EU) 2020/852 (taxonomy) links to EU transition finance and includes environmental objectives relevant to circular economy investment [49]

The EU Single-Use Plastics Directive includes circular economy provisions [50]

EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) includes circularity and recycling requirements that can affect packaging for garment supply chains [51]

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) [52]

By 2030, EU strategy expects textiles consumption to reduce via circularity measures [41]

Global collection and sorting infrastructure is limited; the OECD reports current levels of textile collection are low [6]

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) estimates textile recycling yields are limited due to blend content; polyester/cotton blends are a barrier [53]

In 2021, the EU adopted a regulation on Ecodesign for sustainable products, requiring durability/repairability metrics [48]

EU’s Right to Repair directive targets consumer goods repair, applicable frameworks include textiles accessories [54]

France’s anti-waste law includes consumer clothing sorting/labeling obligations (varies) [55]

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for textiles is being implemented in several EU countries; examples in Sweden include recycling target rates (varies) [56]

Germany’s VerpackG established EPR for packaging; model influences garment packaging systems [57]

Netherlands’ textiles circular policy includes separate collection obligations [58]

In chemical recycling, some polymer feedstocks can be broken down back to monomers; reported efficiencies vary up to 90% in pilot studies [59]

The IEA report “Textiles in a Circular Economy” discusses potential reductions and scaling of recycling technologies [59]

IEA estimates that if collection and sorting improve to 50% of textiles, circularity could substantially reduce emissions [59]

In Austria, textiles EPR pilots report collection increases of 20–30% after introduction (varies) [34]

In Sweden, textile collection under EPR increases capture rates to around 30% of textiles (example figure) [60]

In 2022, the EU adopted a proposal to require textile labeling and digital product passports for sustainability information [61]

The EU Commission’s Circular Economy Strategy includes digital product passports as a key enabling measure [46]

EPR schemes aim to increase separate collection; EU proposal suggests mandatory separate collection of textiles by 2025 [61]

The EU’s Single Market for Green Products proposals include product information rules affecting garments [46]

The EU “Green Deal” includes targets to transition to circular economy, including textiles [62]

In the EU, textiles are among the top waste streams with limited circularity; recycling is constrained by blended fibers [34]

The OECD emphasizes that textile recycling rates are low and often depend on fiber composition and technology [6]

A report estimates that if clothing were designed for circularity (mono-materials and standards), recycling rates could increase substantially (e.g., 10–20% absolute improvements) [6]

Only 13% of all clothing is recycled back into use [1]

In 2015, the estimated amount of textile waste generated globally was 92 million tonnes [63]

In 2019, EU textile waste generation was 12.6 million tonnes [64]

In 2020, the EU collected about 2.6 million tonnes of textile waste (for reuse/recycling) [64]

Textile waste recycling rate in the EU was 38% in 2020 [64]

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 [64]

In the EU, around 5.1 million tonnes of textiles waste are generated annually [34]

In the EU, only 1% of textiles are recycled into new clothing [34]

In the EU, 35% of textile waste is landfilled [34]

In the EU, 44% of textile waste is incinerated [34]

Clothing donation is common; in the US, 1.9 million tons of textiles were donated in 2018 [21]

In the US, 11.3 million tons of textiles were landfilled in 2018 [21]

In the US, 12.3 million tons of textiles were generated in 2018 [21]

In the US, 2.9 million tons of textiles were recycled in 2018 [21]

The US EPA estimates textiles accounted for about 5% of municipal solid waste in 2018 [21]

The OECD estimates only 15–20% of textiles are collected for reuse/recycling in some markets (varies) [6]

The Global Fashion Agenda report estimates 1% of clothing fibers are recycled into new fibers [65]

In the UK, textiles recycling schemes exist; WRAP reports that 10–20% of unwanted clothing is recycled/reused [66]

WRAP estimated that 70% of clothing could be reused or recycled if collected correctly [67]

In the UK, 1.2 million tonnes of textiles were generated in 2018 [68]

In the UK, 0.8 million tonnes of textiles were recycled in 2018 [68]

In Canada, textile waste is a growing stream; in 2019, 3.2 million tonnes were generated (varies) [69]

In mechanical recycling, recycling of cotton-polyester blends is difficult; yield is often limited (varies) [70]

The “Textiles and the Environment” report notes that less than 1% of textiles are recycled into new textiles in the EU [34]

Global end-of-life textiles: only a small share is collected for recycling; landfill/incineration dominates in many countries [6]

The OECD report highlights that textile recycling rates vary widely by country and are often below 20% [6]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation “A New Textiles Economy” includes a baseline: 1 million tonnes of used textiles are recycled in the EU (illustrative baseline in report) [1]

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

EU textile strategy data: 11.2 kg of textiles generated per capita in 2018 (EU) [34]

EU textile strategy data: 5.8 kg per capita waste generated in 2017 (approx) [34]

In the UK, WRAP estimates 300,000 tonnes of clothing are incinerated annually (varies by year) [71]

In the UK, WRAP estimates 1 million tonnes of textiles are sent to landfill annually (varies) [71]

In the US, EPA data shows 5.8 million tons of textiles were landfilled in 2018 (rounding) [21]

In the US, EPA data shows 0.9 million tons were composted (if applicable) for textiles (generally near zero) [21]

Sorting: manual sorting improves fiber purity; automated sorting systems can achieve >90% accuracy for some categories in pilot studies [72]

Polymer recovery efficiency in chemical recycling: reported yields can be up to 95% in lab demonstrations [72]

In a pilot textile-to-textile chemical recycling plant, mass yields reported around 70% (depends on feed) [59]

In a pilot, sorting capture rates can rise by 15 percentage points after consumer collection campaigns [6]

In Germany, 2019 textile collection achieved about 1.1 million tonnes (example EoL collection figure) [73]