Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
85% of all textiles in the United States end up in landfills each year
The average American throws away approximately 81 pounds of clothing annually
In 2018, 11.3 million tons of textile waste ended up in U.S. landfills
Clothing and other textiles account for 7.7% of the total municipal solid waste in landfills
Globally, an estimated 92 million tons of textile waste is created each year
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
Only 15% of consumer-used clothing is recycled in the U.S.
The average garment is worn only 7 times before being discarded
Landfills receive over 3.8 billion pounds of clothing each year in Canada
Approximately 60% of all clothing material is plastic-based, leading to microplastic pollution
Textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined
Each year, $500 billion is lost due to barely worn clothing and lack of recycling
The equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill every second
Clothing Lifespan and Disposal
- Only 15% of consumer-used clothing is recycled in the U.S.
- The average garment is worn only 7 times before being discarded
- Each year, $500 billion is lost due to barely worn clothing and lack of recycling
- In 2020, 52% of fast fashion clothes were thrown away within a year of purchase
- Only 2.5 million tons of textiles were recycled in the U.S. in 2018
- Up to 95% of textiles that are landfilled each year could be recycled
- It takes 12 years for one person to recycle the same quantity of clothing that a factory can produce in 48 hours
- Around 60% of all clothing ends up in incinerators or landfill within a year of being made
- The lifespan of a garment has decreased by more than 50% in the last two decades
- Landfilling clothes wastefully discards materials worth $100 billion annually
- Only 12% of textiles are downcycled into insulation or cleaning cloths
- Vintage and rental clothing can increase garment lifespan 15-fold
- Sorting clothing waste for recycling is significantly more expensive than dumping at landfills
- Consumers keep clothing items only half as long as they did 15 years ago
- 62% of clothing ends up in landfills or incinerators shortly after purchase
Interpretation
In a world where your shirt's lifespan is shorter than a TikTok trend and recycling it costs more than tossing it, our closets are quietly fueling a $500 billion fashion fiasco that’s dressing landfills faster than ourselves.
Consumer Behavior
- One in two people throw their unwanted clothes in the trash rather than donate or recycle them
- On average, the UK consumer throws away £140 worth of clothing every year
- Fast fashion leads to consumers purchasing 60% more clothes now than 15 years ago
- The average clothing utilization has decreased by 36% globally in the past 15 years
- Disposing of used clothes due to low prices leads to decreased clothing value perception
- Global textile consumption is expected to reach 102 million tons by 2030, up from 62 million tons today
Interpretation
In a world where closets overflow and conscience is out of fashion, we’re tossing £140 a year and our planet’s future into the landfill—one cheaply made, barely worn outfit at a time.
Environmental Impact
- The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
- Approximately 60% of all clothing material is plastic-based, leading to microplastic pollution
- Textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined
- Synthetic fibers like polyester take 200+ years to decompose in landfills
- 87% of disposed textiles in the U.S. are either landfilled or incinerated
- A single T-shirt takes 2,700 liters of water to produce
- Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of clean water globally
- The fashion industry produces 20% of global wastewater
- Synthetic textiles shed about 700,000 microplastic fibers per wash
- Microplastics from clothing account for 35% of all primary microplastics in the ocean
- Clothes reuse saves 13 times the emissions compared to recycling
- Clothing production has roughly doubled since 2000
- An estimated 150 billion garments are produced annually worldwide
- Less than 1% of clothing material is recycled into new clothing
- Clothing production is responsible for more emissions than all international flights and maritime shipping combined
- The environmental cost of one kilogram of cotton equals the emission of 1.3 kg of CO2
- Polyester production emits over double the carbon emissions of cotton
- Garments made of mixed fabrics are harder to recycle, contributing to landfill buildup
- Recycling one ton of textiles can save up to 20 tons of CO2 emissions
- Clothing waste contributes significantly to methane emissions in landfills
- Landfilled cotton clothing breaks down and creates greenhouse gas emissions like CO2 and methane
- Clothes decomposing in landfills can release harmful dyes and chemicals into soil and groundwater
- Textile incineration releases toxic chemicals into the air, harming public health
- Modern textile consumption generates 3.3 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions annually
Interpretation
Fast fashion may dress us up for a day, but its environmental hangover—laced with microplastics, carbon emissions, toxic dyes, and enough water to hydrate a small nation—will be unraveling for centuries.
Secondhand and Donation Outcomes
- The resale market is expected to double in the next five years, helping reduce clothing waste
- The global second-hand clothing market is projected to reach $84 billion by 2030
- Donated clothes that aren't resold locally are often shipped to developing countries, burdening local waste systems
- Even donated clothes can end up in landfills due to low resale value and poor condition
Interpretation
While the booming second-hand market offers a stylish solution to fashion’s waste problem, the ugly truth remains that not all donated clothes get a second life—instead, many end up clogging landfills or burdening communities oceans away.
Textile Waste Generation
- 85% of all textiles in the United States end up in landfills each year
- The average American throws away approximately 81 pounds of clothing annually
- In 2018, 11.3 million tons of textile waste ended up in U.S. landfills
- Clothing and other textiles account for 7.7% of the total municipal solid waste in landfills
- Globally, an estimated 92 million tons of textile waste is created each year
- Landfills receive over 3.8 billion pounds of clothing each year in Canada
- The equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill every second
- Clothing waste is expected to increase 60% between 2015 and 2030
- Americans generate 17 million tons of textile waste per year
- In the UK, 350,000 tonnes of clothing go to landfill each year
- Australians discard 800,000 tonnes of clothing each year, much of which ends up in landfill
- Textile waste in Australia has increased 400% in the last 20 years
- The average European buys 26 kilograms of clothing annually and discards 11 kilograms
- India's landfills receive over 1 million tonnes of textile waste annually
- Textile waste makes up about 4% of solid waste in urban India
- Fast fashion contributes 92 million tons of solid waste per year globally
- In the U.S., 70 pounds of textiles per person are sent to landfill annually
- Retailers like H&M burn unsold clothing to make space for new inventory
- Unsold clothing can account for up to 40% of manufactured clothing
- Globally, 25% of garments end up unsold
- In 2020, the U.S. imported over $107 billion worth of apparel, much of which becomes waste
- Increased fast fashion leads to quicker fashion turnover, increasing landfill input
- Many retailers lack infrastructure to properly recycle returned or damaged clothes
Interpretation
In a world where wardrobes change faster than seasons, our obsession with fast fashion is dressing landfills in last year’s trends—at the staggering cost of millions of tons of waste, environmental degradation, and a throwaway culture we no longer can afford.