Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The average person buys 60% more clothing than they did 15 years ago
Clothing production has roughly doubled since 2000
The average American throws away about 81 pounds of clothing per year
Only 15% of consumer-used clothing in the U.S. is recycled
Fast fashion companies produce about 52 micro-seasons of clothing a year
87% of total fiber input used for clothing is ultimately incinerated or sent to landfill
The fashion industry produces 10% of all humanity's carbon emissions
The fashion industry uses around 93 billion cubic meters of water annually
Producing one cotton shirt requires 2,700 liters of water
The average lifespan of a garment is about 2.2 years
A garbage truck's worth of textiles is landfilled or burned every second globally
Clothing consumption is expected to rise by 63% by 2030
Washing synthetic textiles releases 0.5 million tons of microfibers into the ocean annually
Consumer Behavior
- The average person buys 60% more clothing than they did 15 years ago
- The average lifespan of a garment is about 2.2 years
- Clothing utilization has decreased by 36% compared to 15 years ago
- The average American owns 7 pairs of jeans
- Consumers wear garments on average only 7 times before discarding them
- 20 pieces of clothing per person are purchased each year on average
- Less than 1 in 10 people globally repair their clothes once damaged
- 92% of consumers want brands to be more sustainable
- The average person only wears 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time
- American women own an average of 30 outfits—one for every day of the month
- One in three young women consider garments worn once or twice to be old
- Only 43% of consumers feel guilty about the environmental impact of their clothing consumption
- Urban consumers are twice as likely to buy more clothes annually than rural consumers
Interpretation
We’re buying more clothes than ever, wearing them less than ever, tossing them sooner, fixing them rarely, and feeling only half as bad about it—proof that fast fashion has a firm grip on our closets and a loose one on our conscience.
Environmental Impact
- The average American throws away about 81 pounds of clothing per year
- Only 15% of consumer-used clothing in the U.S. is recycled
- 87% of total fiber input used for clothing is ultimately incinerated or sent to landfill
- The fashion industry produces 10% of all humanity's carbon emissions
- The fashion industry uses around 93 billion cubic meters of water annually
- Producing one cotton shirt requires 2,700 liters of water
- A garbage truck's worth of textiles is landfilled or burned every second globally
- Washing synthetic textiles releases 0.5 million tons of microfibers into the ocean annually
- Up to 35% of microplastics in the ocean come from synthetic textiles
- 60% of fabric fibers are now synthetics, derived from fossil fuels
- The apparel industry accounts for 20% of global wastewater
- Only 1% of clothing is recycled into new garments
- 64% of global textile waste is landfilled each year
- The global fashion industry is responsible for 92 million tons of waste annually
- Carbon emissions from textiles are projected to rise 60% by 2030 if no bold action is taken
- Globally, 85% of textiles go to landfill each year
- Cotton production accounts for 2.5% of the world’s arable land but uses 16% of all insecticides
- Europe throws away 11 million tonnes of textiles per year
- Polyester production emits 706 billion kg of greenhouse gases annually
- Buying one new white cotton shirt produces the same emissions as driving a car for 35 miles
- Extending the life of clothes by 9 months would reduce carbon, water, and waste footprints by 20–30%
- Fashion is the second-largest consumer of water worldwide
- Only 12% of material used for clothing ends up being recycled
- 90% of clothing donations to charity shops are exported or recycled, not resold locally
- 60% of garments made each year end up in landfills or incinerators within 12 months
- Ghana receives around 15 million used garments each week
- It takes 7,500 liters of water to make one pair of jeans
- Climate change could lead to a 30% decrease in cotton yields by 2030
- 75% of fashion supply chain materials end up as waste
- Up to 95% of discarded textiles can be recycled, yet most are not
- Washing clothes accounts for 35% of microplastics released into the environment
- Only 14% of plastic packaging is recycled globally—much of it from fashion supply chains
- Growing fiber crops for textiles contributes to biodiversity loss on 30 million hectares of land
- Greenhouse gas emissions from textile production are more than those from international flights and maritime shipping combined
- Synthetic textiles take up to 200 years to decompose
- About one-fifth of global industrial water pollution is caused by textile dyeing and treatment
- Apparel and footwear industries together account for 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions
- Renting clothing can reduce carbon and water footprints by 20-30%
Interpretation
Fast fashion may dress us up for less, but it's costing the planet a fortune—buried in landfills, soaked in wasted water, and stitched together with threads of fossil fuels and false economy.
Market Trends & Economics
- Clothing consumption is expected to rise by 63% by 2030
- The global secondhand apparel market is expected to reach $350 billion by 2028
- More than $500 billion of value is lost every year due to clothing underutilization and lack of recycling
- Sales of clothing have doubled in the past 15 years
- The resale clothing market grew 21 times faster than retail in 2022
- The resale market is expected to be twice the size of fast fashion by 2030
- The global fashion industry is valued at over $2.5 trillion
- T-shirts imported into the U.S. totaled more than 3.1 billion units in 2021
- The U.S. fashion market is projected to exceed $400 billion by 2025
Interpretation
As our closets swell with fast fashion and forgotten threads, the booming $2.5 trillion industry races toward a 63% consumption spike by 2030—while savvy shoppers and a surging $350 billion resale market prove that style doesn’t have to come at the planet’s expense.
Production & Manufacturing
- Clothing production has roughly doubled since 2000
- Fast fashion companies produce about 52 micro-seasons of clothing a year
- Approximately 25% of chemicals produced worldwide are used in textiles
- The fashion industry workers earn as little as $3 per day in some garment factories
- Around 75 million people work in the fashion and textiles sector
- 80% of the energy used in garment production is consumed in raw material production
- China is the largest producer and exporter of textiles in the world
- Only 2% of garment workers globally earn a living wage
- Producing synthetic fibers uses 342 million barrels of oil every year
- Over 300 million people are employed in the textile sector globally
- Each year, enough clothes are produced to allow every person on Earth to own 14 new items
- Between 2000 and 2014, clothing production doubled while utilization rates decreased
Interpretation
In a world where fashion changes faster than the weather, the true cost of our closet clutter is measured not just in dollars but in oil barrels, exploited labor, and a planet stretched at the seams.
Sustainable Alternatives
- The use of recycled polyester has grown to over 14% of total polyester use
Interpretation
Recycled polyester may still be the underdog at 14%, but it's stitching its way into the mainstream wardrobe of sustainable fashion.