Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The global apparel market was valued at approximately $1.5 trillion in 2022
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
Over 100 billion garments are produced globally each year
Approximately 85% of textiles go to landfills each year
The average American throws away about 81 pounds of clothing per year
The clothing industry uses 93 billion cubic meters of water annually
Cotton production accounts for 24% of insecticides and 11% of pesticides used globally
Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water globally
The global fast fashion market is expected to grow from $106 billion in 2022 to $185 billion in 2027
Synthetic fibers such as polyester make up about 60% of clothing materials
Polyester production releases about 706 billion kg of greenhouse gases annually
Garment workers in Bangladesh earn as little as $96 per month
Only 2% of fashion workers worldwide earn a living wage
Consumer Behavior & Waste
- The average American throws away about 81 pounds of clothing per year
- An average garment is worn only 7 to 10 times before being discarded
- 60% of all clothing produced is disposed of within a year
- 73% of clothing ends up in landfills or is incinerated
- Only 5% of used clothing collected is resold in the same country
- The average lifespan of a clothing item has decreased by 36% in 15 years
- Nearly 40% of clothing purchased online is returned
- 60% of consumers say sustainability influences their clothing purchase decisions
- The average shopper buys 60% more clothes than 15 years ago
- About 30% of clothing in wardrobes has not been worn in over a year
- Europe generates 7.5 million tons of textile waste annually
- Fashion brands generate 20% more inventory than they can sell
Interpretation
Fast fashion may dress us up, but behind the seams lies a wasteful cycle where garments are barely worn, barely wanted, and barely sustainable—proving that our closets are getting fuller while our planet pays the price.
Environmental Impact
- The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
- Approximately 85% of textiles go to landfills each year
- The clothing industry uses 93 billion cubic meters of water annually
- Cotton production accounts for 24% of insecticides and 11% of pesticides used globally
- Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water globally
- Polyester production releases about 706 billion kg of greenhouse gases annually
- Nearly 20% of global wastewater is produced by the fashion industry
- Making 1 kilogram of cotton fabric consumes about 20,000 liters of water
- 70 million barrels of oil are used annually to produce polyester
- Fashion accounts for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions
- Clothing manufacturing uses 1.5 trillion liters of water annually for dyeing processes
- Only 1% of clothing is recycled into new garments
- 150 million trees are cut annually to produce fabrics like rayon and modal
- Clothing manufacturing accounts for 20% of industrial water pollution globally
- Only 16% of global fashion companies disclose their environmental impact
- Up to 35% of microplastics in oceans come from synthetic textiles
- Denim manufacturing uses about 1,800 gallons of water to make one pair of jeans
- It takes about 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton t-shirt
- Fashion brands discard up to 30% of new clothing unsold
- The apparel industry will emit about 2.1 billion metric tons of CO₂ by 2030 under current trends
- Recycled polyester produces 32% fewer emissions than virgin polyester
- The garment industry adds over 20 million tons of fiber waste to landfills annually
- 92 million tons of textile waste is created annually by the fashion industry
- Only 29% of brands meet sustainable water usage standards
- Circular fashion models could reduce GHG emissions by 143 million tons by 2030
- Nearly 80% of used clothing exported from the US ends up in landfills abroad
- Washing synthetic clothes releases about 500,000 tons of microfibers annually into oceans
- More than 20% of global industrial water pollution comes from textile dyeing and treatment
- Manufacturing a single t-shirt emits about 2.1 kg of CO₂e
Interpretation
The fashion industry may dress us up in style, but behind the seams, it’s a polluting powerhouse that's guzzling water, spewing carbon, poisoning rivers, and turning wardrobes into waste—proving that fast fashion comes at a planetary price.
Geographic & Regional Insights
- Bangladesh is the second-largest clothing exporter globally
- Only 20 countries produce 94% of global garment exports
- 75% of global clothing exports come from developing countries
- Italy is Europe’s largest producer of high-end garments
Interpretation
Global fashion may strut down Parisian runways, but its stitches are sewn in Dhaka, proving that the glamour of garments is often powered by the grit of developing economies.
Market Size & Industry Value
- The global apparel market was valued at approximately $1.5 trillion in 2022
- The global fast fashion market is expected to grow from $106 billion in 2022 to $185 billion in 2027
- The fashion industry contributes around $2.5 trillion to the global economy
- The US imports over $90 billion in apparel annually
- The fashion resale market is valued at over $40 billion and growing
- The luxury fashion segment is expected to reach $133 billion by 2026
- Sub-Saharan Africa imports over $4 billion of secondhand clothes annually
- Digital fashion is expected to be a $50 billion industry by 2030
- The global men’s apparel market is expected to reach $553 billion by 2027
- The womenswear market was valued at $804 billion in 2022
Interpretation
From fast fashion’s frenzied rise to digital couture’s pixel-perfect promise, the $2.5 trillion fashion industry now stitches together a paradoxical world where billion-dollar luxury, secondhand imports, and virtual wardrobes all strut the same global runway.
Production & Manufacturing
- Over 100 billion garments are produced globally each year
- Synthetic fibers such as polyester make up about 60% of clothing materials
- Garment workers in Bangladesh earn as little as $96 per month
- Only 2% of fashion workers worldwide earn a living wage
- The fashion industry employs over 300 million people globally, many of them women
- Clothing production has doubled in the last 15 years
- China is the largest clothing producer in the world, producing over 40% of global apparel
- Garment factory fires and accidents have killed over 1,500 workers in the last decade
- The average garment worker in Ethiopia earns less than $26 a month
- More than 60% of garments made yearly are composed of plastic-based fibers
- Approximately 8,000 synthetic chemicals are used in the fashion manufacturing process
- One in six people work in the global fashion supply chain
- Nearly 70% of garments sold in the US are made from synthetic fibers
- Natural fibers like cotton and wool make up less than 37% of clothing production
- India is second only to China in textile production volume
Interpretation
Behind the glitter of fast fashion lies a global empire stitched together with plastic threads, poverty wages, and perilous conditions—where one in six workers powers an industry that churns out billions of garments a year, yet pays most of them less than the price of a T-shirt.