Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
The fashion industry consumes about 93 billion cubic meters of water annually, about 4% of global freshwater withdrawal
Around 20% of global wastewater comes from fabric dyeing and treatment
One garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned every second
The average consumer buys 60% more clothes than they did 15 years ago but keeps them for half as long
Clothing production doubled between 2000 and 2014
Nearly 60% of all clothing ends up in incinerators or landfills within a year of being made
Polyester, the most widely used fiber, emits nearly 3 times more carbon dioxide than cotton
Making a single pair of jeans produces as much greenhouse gases as driving a car more than 80 miles
Up to 35% of microplastics in the ocean come from synthetic textiles
It takes about 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton shirt
53 million tonnes of fiber are produced annually for the fashion industry, and less than 1% is recycled into new clothes
The fashion industry’s greenhouse gas emissions could surge more than 50% by 2030 at current production pace
Consumer Behavior and Consumption Trends
- The average consumer buys 60% more clothes than they did 15 years ago but keeps them for half as long
- Fast fashion brands introduce as many as 52 micro-seasons per year
- Consumers only wear garments an average of seven times before discarding
- The average number of times a fast fashion item is worn has decreased by 36% in 15 years
- Clothing resale market is expected to grow 11 times faster than traditional retail by 2025, benefiting the environment
- About 30% of clothes in wardrobes across Europe haven’t been worn in over a year
- The global fashion industry is valued at over $2.5 trillion, contributing significantly to unsustainable consumption
- Clothing utilization (how often clothing is worn) has decreased by 36% since the early 2000s, especially in emerging economies
- Secondhand textiles are often shipped to developing countries, displacing local textile industries
- People bought 60% more garments in 2014 than in 2000, but kept each item for half as long
- The average garment is worn 7 times before being discarded in the U.S.
- Fast fashion companies release new clothing lines every 2 weeks on average
- Clothing consumption is expected to increase by 63% by 2030, reaching 102 million tons annually
Interpretation
In the frenzied race of fast fashion—where clothes are bought twice as fast, worn half as long, and dumped after just seven outings—we're dressing up environmental disaster in disposable trends and calling it style.
Environmental Impact
- The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
- Polyester, the most widely used fiber, emits nearly 3 times more carbon dioxide than cotton
- Making a single pair of jeans produces as much greenhouse gases as driving a car more than 80 miles
- Up to 35% of microplastics in the ocean come from synthetic textiles
- The fashion industry’s greenhouse gas emissions could surge more than 50% by 2030 at current production pace
- In 2015, the fashion industry emitted 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent, more than aviation and shipping combined
- 700,000 microfibers can be released in a single domestic wash of synthetic clothes
- Fashion accounts for 20 to 35% of microplastic flows into the ocean
- Cotton farming uses 6% of the world’s pesticides and 16% of insecticides
- Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of water globally
- Burning unsold clothes releases toxic gases and adds to air pollution
- Textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined
- A single load of laundry could release hundreds of thousands of fibers from synthetic fabrics
- The majority of fast fashion pieces are made of non-biodegradable synthetic materials
- One-third of microplastics in the ocean come specifically from clothing
- Each year, up to 500,000 tons of plastic microfibers are released into the ocean from washing clothes
- Fast fashion emissions are expected to grow by more than 60% by 2030
- Extending the life of clothes by an extra nine months of active use would reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by around 20–30%
- Making a t-shirt produces about 2.6 kg of CO2 emissions
- Most synthetic garments release microfibers every time they are washed—an environmental hazard to oceans
- Washing synthetic textiles accounts for 35% of primary microplastics released into the environment
- If current trends continue, by 2050 the fashion industry will use up 25% of the world’s carbon budget
- Circular business models in fashion could reduce carbon emissions by 143 million tons by 2030
- The emissions from textile production alone are projected to rise by 60% by 2030
Interpretation
Fast fashion may be trendy, but with its carbon-heavy threads, pesticide-soaked cotton, and oceans full of plastic microfibers, it’s less a style statement and more a planetary crisis stitched at the seams.
Production and Manufacturing Practices
- Clothing production doubled between 2000 and 2014
- Over 300 million people are employed in the fashion industry globally, including many in hazardous environmental conditions
- Overproduction is the norm—some brands discard or burn unsold stock to maintain exclusivity
- Synthetic fibers are used in over 60% of garments produced annually
- Approximately 90% of workers in fast fashion supply chains are not paid a living wage, making sustainable reform difficult
- More than 100 billion garments are produced each year
- Between 80 to 100 billion pieces of clothing are manufactured globally each year
- In 2017, the largest fashion retailers doubled their production since 2000
Interpretation
Fast fashion spins a stylish illusion of affordability and abundance, but behind the seams lies a whirlwind of waste, exploitation, and environmental destruction stitched together by underpaid hands and synthetic fibers.
Waste and Landfill
- One garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned every second
- Nearly 60% of all clothing ends up in incinerators or landfills within a year of being made
- 53 million tonnes of fiber are produced annually for the fashion industry, and less than 1% is recycled into new clothes
- Consumers throw away shoes and clothing at an average of 70 pounds per person annually
- Nearly 90% of discarded clothes end up incinerated or in landfills
- Clothes made from polyester can take up to 200 years to decompose
- Only 20% of clothing is collected for reuse or recycling globally
- Fashion generates 92 million tons of waste per year
- An average person in the U.S. throws away 37kg of clothes every year
- Only 10% of clothes donated to charities are sold; the rest are exported or sent to landfills
- Clothing and textiles make up 7.7% of municipal solid waste in landfills
- The EU produces over 11 million tonnes of textile waste each year
- Only 26% of EU textile waste is recycled
- The apparel industry is responsible for 21 billion tons of industrial waste annually
- Only 12% of clothing material ends up being recycled
- Up to 95% of the textiles that are landfilled each year could be recycled
- An estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste is produced every year
- 85% of all textiles go to dumps each year
- The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothing every year
- Less than 15% of clothing collected for recycling in the U.S. is actually reused
- In the UK, 300,000 tonnes of clothing go to landfill every year
- 20% of fashion production suffers from overproduction, contributing to textile waste
- The average consumer throws away 60% of clothing within a year of purchase
Interpretation
Fast fashion may dress us for a season, but it undresses the planet forever—turning closets into culprits, style into landfill, and yesterday’s trends into tomorrow’s toxic legacy.
Water and Resource Consumption
- The fashion industry consumes about 93 billion cubic meters of water annually, about 4% of global freshwater withdrawal
- Around 20% of global wastewater comes from fabric dyeing and treatment
- It takes about 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton shirt
- The dyeing process can use up to 200 tons of water for every ton of fabric
- The fashion industry is the second-biggest consumer of water worldwide
- It takes 10,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of cotton—enough for a pair of jeans
- Textile production uses around 98 million tonnes of non-renewable resources per year
Interpretation
Fast fashion may keep you trendy, but with the industry guzzling enough water to rival nations and staining rivers with its runoff, your closet is contributing to a global thirst for destruction.