Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The global apparel market was valued at approximately $1.5 trillion in 2020
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
The textile industry uses around 93 billion cubic meters of water annually
A single cotton shirt requires about 2,700 liters of water to produce
85% of all textiles go to the dump each year
The fashion industry emits more carbon than international flights and maritime shipping combined
Polyester, the most-used clothing fiber, releases 2 to 3 times more carbon emissions than cotton
The average American throws away approximately 81 pounds of clothing each year
Clothing production doubled from 2000 to 2014
The average consumer buys 60% more clothing than they did 15 years ago, but keeps it for half as long
Only 1% of clothing is recycled into new garments
The average number of times a garment is worn has decreased by 36% in the last 15 years
Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water globally
Consumer Behavior & Product Lifecycle
- The average consumer buys 60% more clothing than they did 15 years ago, but keeps it for half as long
- The average number of times a garment is worn has decreased by 36% in the last 15 years
- Only 20% of clothing donations to charities are actually resold in stores
- About 40% of apparel purchases are made online globally
- The average fashion product lifecycle lasts between 3 to 6 months
- 72% of fashion executives rank sustainability as one of the top business priorities
- 67% of shoppers consider sustainable materials when buying clothing
- One pair of jeans emits around 33.4 kg of CO2 throughout its life cycle
Interpretation
We’re buying more clothes than ever, wearing them less than ever, and tossing them so fast that even charities can’t keep up—while the planet foots the carbon bill and fashion executives finally pretend to care.
Environmental Resources & Pollution
- The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
- The textile industry uses around 93 billion cubic meters of water annually
- A single cotton shirt requires about 2,700 liters of water to produce
- The fashion industry emits more carbon than international flights and maritime shipping combined
- Polyester, the most-used clothing fiber, releases 2 to 3 times more carbon emissions than cotton
- Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water globally
- Producing 1 kg of cotton fabric consumes 20,000 liters of water on average
- Over 300 million barrels of oil are used each year to produce synthetic textiles
- About 20% of global wastewater comes from the fashion industry
- The fashion industry could use 25% more textile fibers by 2030
- Garment manufacturing accounts for 20% to 30% of fashion's total greenhouse gas emissions
- Land required for cotton farming stands at 2.5% of global arable land
- 70% of global cotton production is irrigated, placing strain on water resources
- Fashion production consumes about 1.5 trillion liters of water annually
- Washing synthetic garments releases 500,000 tons of microplastics into oceans each year
- Fashion is responsible for 35% of microplastics released into the ocean
- Digital fashion could reduce up to 97% of CO2 emissions per item
- Production of a polyester shirt emits 5.5 kg CO2e, while cotton emits 2.1 kg CO2e
- The apparel sector is the fourth largest pressure category in terms of natural resource use
- Clothing manufacturing contributes to 20% of global industrial water pollution
- The carbon footprint of the average UK wardrobe is around 1.7 tonnes of CO2e
Interpretation
Fashion may change with the seasons, but its environmental impact is anything but fleeting—woven from oil, drenched in water, and stitched together with carbon, the industry dresses the world at the planet’s expense.
Manufacturing & Production Processes
- Clothing production doubled from 2000 to 2014
- Workers in the garment industry often earn less than $3 a day
- Less than 2% of fashion workers are paid a living wage
- Synthetic fibers account for about 62% of total fiber production
- The average garment production lead time is 3 to 6 months
- The average number of collections released by fashion retailers has increased from 2 to 5 per year
- 39% of fashion executives cite supply chain traceability as a top priority
- Less than 5% of fashion brands can track all of their raw material inputs
- 94% of brands do not know the origin of their raw materials
- Fast fashion brands produce twice as much clothing today as they did in 2000
- Zara alone releases 24 collections per year
- H&M releases between 12 to 16 collections each year
- The average garment worker in Bangladesh earns about $95 per month
- Asia accounts for 80% of global garment production
- Over 8,000 different chemicals are used to produce clothing
- Leather tanning is the leading industrial consumer of chromium
Interpretation
As fashion sprints toward ever-faster trends with clothes that double, collections that multiply, and factories churning out synthetic styles across Asia, the industry’s glossy surface hides an uncomfortable truth: behind every $10 t-shirt is a global machine fueled by poverty wages, chemical overload, and a supply chain so opaque, even brands don’t know where their clothes are really born.
Market Size & Economic Impact
- The global apparel market was valued at approximately $1.5 trillion in 2020
- Bangladesh is the second-largest apparel producer globally, after China
- Around 75 million people are employed in the global apparel supply chain
- The global textile recycling market was valued at $5.3 billion in 2020
- The fashion resale market is growing 11 times faster than traditional retail
- Circular business models could deliver $700 billion in economic value by 2030
- The U.S. fashion market was worth approximately $406 billion in 2022
- Cotton farming employs over 250 million people worldwide
- More than 1 in 6 people globally work in some part of the fashion supply chain
- The global children’s apparel market was worth over $190 billion in 2022
- Fashion brands lose $52 billion in unsold stock yearly
- Global denim production exceeds 2 billion pairs of jeans annually
- Secondhand clothing sales are projected to reach $77 billion by 2025
Interpretation
In a world where 1 in 6 people stitch together a $1.5 trillion fashion industry that still manages to lose $52 billion in unsold stock while tossing textiles like yesterday’s trends, the booming resale and circular economy may just be the industry’s best shot at turning yesterday’s jeans into tomorrow’s gold.
Waste & Disposal
- 85% of all textiles go to the dump each year
- The average American throws away approximately 81 pounds of clothing each year
- Only 1% of clothing is recycled into new garments
- The fashion industry generates 92 million tons of waste annually
- North America generates 17 million tons of textile waste every year
- 35% of all materials in the fashion supply chain end up as waste before reaching the consumer
- Over 60% of clothing manufactured ends up in landfills or incinerators within a year
- 87% of the total fiber input used for clothing is incinerated or disposed of in landfill
- Nearly 30% of clothing inventory is never sold
- Only 12% of materials used for clothing are recycled
- Only 14% of polyester is currently recycled globally
- Fabric waste from cutting processes can be up to 20% of material
- Retailers burn or landfill an estimated $500 billion of unsold clothing each year
Interpretation
The fashion industry dresses us in style while undressing the planet’s resources, churning out mountains of waste with the efficiency of a broken record set to “discard.”