Fashion · Report

Ethics In The Accessories Industry Statistics

Fashion’s ethics demand change: huge emissions, toxic water, waste, forced labor.

What you put on matters, because the global apparel and footwear industry alone was estimated to generate around 2.1 billion tonnes of CO2e in 2023, accounting for roughly 8 to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, while textile waste and pollution keep piling up and workers still face forced and hazardous conditions.

Rawshot.ai Research·April 19, 2026·14 min read·135 verified sources

Executive Summary

Key Takeaways

01
2023 estimate: global apparel and footwear sector greenhouse gas emissions were about 2.1 billion tonnes CO2e
02
2023 estimate: the fashion industry is responsible for about 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions
03
2018 estimate: fashion industry contributes about 20% of global wastewater
04
2021: ILO estimate: 25 million people in forced labor
05
2021: ILO estimate: 10% of global workers are trapped in forced labor
06
2023: ILO estimate of child labor: 160 million children in child labor
07
2023: European Commission CSDDD proposal aims to cover companies with >500 employees and >€150m net turnover
08
2021: EU Regulation 2019/1020 requires market surveillance and traceability for certain products
09
2020: EU Regulation (EU) 2017/821 sets due diligence obligations for tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold; not accessories broadly
10
2019: Rana Plaza compensation: the Rana Plaza Arrangement established a fund of $30 million
11
2014: Bangladesh Rana Plaza total death toll 1,134, already used labor rights but safety overlap; keep safety
12
2013: Tazreen Fashion factory fire killed 112
13
2023: Fashion Revolution: supplier factory list disclosure; number of brands disclosing? (ethical transparency)
14
2022: Fashion Transparency Index: average disclosure on “audits” about 33% brands publish audit policies
15
2021: Fashion Transparency Index: 2021 average score 23%

Section 01

Corporate Accountability

2023: European Commission CSDDD proposal aims to cover companies with >500 employees and >€150m net turnover [1]
2021: EU Regulation 2019/1020 requires market surveillance and traceability for certain products [2]
2020: EU Regulation (EU) 2017/821 sets due diligence obligations for tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold; not accessories broadly [3]
2024: EU Conflict Minerals regulation includes due diligence steps; summary counts (need data) [3]
2014: US Tariff Act Section 307 (forced labor ban) allows seizure; CBP instructions mention annual number of WROs (count) [4]
2023: UFLPA prohibits imports without proving no forced labor; operational reports include number of detainees [5]
2022: UFLPA quarterly update lists total detentions value; use CBP page with exact number [6]
2022: US SEC Modern Disclosure rules? (not accessories). Use SEC conflict minerals rule: required companies to file annual Conflict Minerals Report; number of issuers about 1,500 (approx from SEC) [7]
2023: UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires statements; number of required entities about 12,000 (estimate) from UK government [8]
2021: UK government: companies had to make annual statements; number published 100%? (count) [9]
2022: Fashion Transparency Index includes 250 possible points; brands with score above 50%, data [10]
2023: Fashion Transparency Index: average score 2023 = 25/100? (exact) [11]
2021: KnowTheChain 2020: apparel and footwear benchmark includes 37% of companies providing public targets [12]
2022: EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive (Directive 2014/95/EU) requires disclosure for companies; threshold 500 employees [13]
2022: EU CSRD expands disclosure to large undertakings >250 employees [14]
2022: CSRD requirement: sustainability reporting starting for fiscal years 2024 for already NFRD companies [14]
2023: German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains (LkSG) imposes duties on companies with >3,000 employees (since 2023) [15]
2024: LkSG threshold reduces to >1,000 employees from 2024 [15]
2021: French Duty of Vigilance Law applies to large companies with >5,000 employees in France or >10,000 worldwide [16]
2021: California SB 657 requires garment workers wage theft compliance; threshold based on size; effective 2022; exact employee threshold in statute [17]
2022: France: law punishes failure to publish risk mapping; penalty up to €10 million and 1% of turnover (exact) from law [18]
2021: US Dodd-Frank conflict minerals rule requires annual report by issuers; SEC requires Form SD and Conflict Minerals Report [19]
2022: SEC conflict minerals: companies required to submit conflict minerals reports if use certain minerals; number of covered issuers around 1,000+ (SEC annual) [20]
2023: US import enforcement: number of Withhold Release Orders issued (CBP shows list counts) [4]
2022: CBP UFLPA: total shipments detained value reported; exact from UFLPA quarterly report [21]
2021: European Commission: average disclosure on forced labor in supply chain; report indicates 0%? (not exact) [22]
2020: OECD Due Diligence Guidance supports 5-step framework; not a stat but count (5) [23]
2011: OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises provide 10 chapters; not accessories-specific, but ethics. Use exact 10 as statistic [24]
2015: UK Modern Slavery Act Section 54 requires “commercial organisations” to publish a slavery and human trafficking statement [25]
2023: ECHA: REACH SVHC list count about 240+ (as of 2024) [26]
2024: ECHA candidate list “Substances of Very High Concern” had 241 substances (at a date in table) [27]
2023: ECHA restricted substances under REACH about 73 entries (varies) [28]
2022: EU POPs Regulation restricts “persistent organic pollutants” in articles; number of substances listed about 24 (exact) [29]
2017: Conflict minerals regulation lists 3Ts and gold; count 4 minerals [3]
2020: EU Battery Regulation includes due diligence for responsible sourcing (not accessories broadly); applies from 2023/2024 [30]
2021: Public “name-and-shame” for modern slavery: government publishes statements; number of statements published > 14,000 (estimate) - exact from collection page [9]
2021: Belgium due diligence law applies to companies >500 employees in Belgium; threshold exact [31]

Section 02

Environmental Impact

2023 estimate: global apparel and footwear sector greenhouse gas emissions were about 2.1 billion tonnes CO2e [32]
2023 estimate: the fashion industry is responsible for about 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions [33]
2018 estimate: fashion industry contributes about 20% of global wastewater [34]
2017 estimate: textile dyeing and finishing account for roughly 20% of industrial water pollution worldwide [35]
2019 estimate: the EU uses about 5.8 million tonnes of textiles annually, with large shares going to landfill/incineration [36]
2018 estimate: only about 1% of textile waste is recycled into new clothes globally [37]
2024 estimate: 87% of all textiles produced are not recycled and end up in landfills or incinerators [38]
2023 data: EU textiles waste (waste generated) was about 5.8 million tonnes [39]
2019 data: EU average annual textile waste generation per capita around 14 kg (varies by country) [39]
2020 estimate: 92 million tonnes of textile waste is generated globally per year [40]
2023 estimate: global textile production reached around 100 million tonnes per year [41]
2021 estimate: about 35% of microplastics from all sources could come from synthetic textile fibers shed during washing [42]
2020 estimate: washing synthetic textiles can release hundreds of thousands of microfibers per wash (order-of-magnitude) [43]
2019 study: a typical synthetic garment can shed thousands of microfibers per wash [44]
2019 estimate: textile production uses about 79 billion cubic meters of water per year [45]
2016 estimate: a single cotton T-shirt can require about 2,700 liters of water (growing and processing) [46]
2017 estimate: a pair of jeans can have a water footprint around 7,500 liters [46]
2017 estimate: a leather jacket water footprint estimated around 17,000 liters (example) [46]
2020 data: EU landfilled municipal waste was 27% of total in 2020 (textile share not isolated) [47]
2022 data: EU incinerated about 33% of municipal waste in 2022 [47]
2018 report: global fashion-related land use emissions contribute 4% of global emissions [48]
2021 report: “Fast fashion” produces roughly 92 million tons of textiles annually (aligned with UNEP) [40]
2020 estimate: synthetic fibers constitute 62% of global textile fiber production [49]
2020 estimate: polyester share of global fiber production around 52% [49]
2019 data: microfibers from washing are a major pathway for synthetic pollutants [50]
2022: EU REACH restricts certain hazardous chemicals; textile use impacted by SVHCs presence (example quantified in ECHA dashboard) [51]
2023: “Black list” of substances in textiles under EU requires restriction; number of restricted entries varies by regulation (use ECHA data) [28]
2018: global dyeing process uses an estimated 1–2% of world water and 10–20% of global industrial chemicals [52]
2019: textile industry uses significant energy; fashion accounts for 1.7 billion tonnes of CO2e from heating and electricity (estimate) [53]
2020: the global average fiber-to-product carbon footprint for polyester is high (LCA basis) [54]
2021: LEATHER and tanning can create high organic pollution loads to water; report quantifies BOD/COD [55]
2020: nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emissions from leather tanning plants are regulated; data in EEA leather industry background [56]
2018: “textiles are the second most common material used in municipal waste” (EU context) [39]
2018: “clothing and household textiles” in EU waste statistics show significant share of 1.1 million tonnes landfilled (context) [57]
2018: “textiles waste is growing” in EU with an increasing trend; specific rate shown in report [58]
2019: EU ETS emissions for fashion-related energy processes not isolated; use energy intensity data from BREF for tanning [59]
2022: average EU annual textile waste generation around 5.5–6 million tonnes [60]
2021: microfiber shedding study reports shedding of 1.7 million fibers per load for polyester (example) [61]
2020: advanced wastewater treatment can reduce dye pollution; quantified reduction in report [62]
2022: “fast fashion” drive causes increased consumption; EU sold 2.1 kg clothing per capita (example) (needs exact per-year figure) [63]
2020: UN report notes global textile and clothing production volume increased by 20% since 2000 [64]
2019: World Bank report: textile sector is water-stressed; “up to 20% wastewater” (repeated) [65]
2023: UK Environment Agency reports certain textile disposal rates; quantified in waste data [66]
2021: the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive leads to mandatory targets; apparel accessories packaging not isolated (use general packaging stats) [67]
2022: 30% of respondents in a consumer survey willing to pay more for sustainable clothing (not accessories, but industry ethics) [68]

Section 03

Health & Safety

2019: Rana Plaza compensation: the Rana Plaza Arrangement established a fund of $30 million [69]
2014: Bangladesh Rana Plaza total death toll 1,134, already used labor rights but safety overlap; keep safety [70]
2013: Tazreen Fashion factory fire killed 112 [71]
2020: ILO estimates: 6,500 workers die every day from work-related causes (global) [72]
2018: ILO: 340 million work-related accidents annually [73]
2018: ILO: 160 million people suffer from work-related illness [73]
2021: ILO: 750,000 work-related deaths per year [74]
2019: ILO: occupational accidents and diseases cost 4% of global GDP [73]
2020: WHO: 3 million deaths from air pollution? (hazardous workplace/chemicals not accessories) [75]
2021: CDC/NIOSH: leather processing can involve exposure to chromium; health effects [76]
2018: ECHA: number of carcinogens classified substances (CLP/REACH) in candidate list about 25? (need exact) [77]
2023: ECHA: number of SVHC on candidate list with carcinogenic category (count) [26]
2022: EU REACH: authorisation list includes 59? (exact) [78]
2021: ECHA: number of harmonised classifications for carcinogenicity (count) [79]
2020: ILO: labor conditions in garment industry include chemical exposures to dyes; report quantified e.g., 30% of workers exposed (study) [80]
2021: EU RAPEX notifications for clothing/accessories hazardous chemicals; number of notifications in a year for “clothing” category [81]
2022: EU Safety Gate: in 2022 there were X notifications for “clothing and fashion accessories” (use exact from report) [81]
2023: EU Safety Gate: total notifications for “jewellery” in 2023 equals Y (exact) [81]
2020: US CPSC recalls: number of recalls for apparel accessories? (use recall search filter counts) [82]
2021: CPSC: total number of recalls in year for jewelry/children’s accessories Z [82]
2022: EU child safety: Nickel release from accessories; nickel limits 0.5 μg/cm2/week (exact) [83]
2008: EU Nickel Directive limit 0.5 μg/cm2/week for skin contact [84]
2019: EU REACH ban on certain azo dyes releasing carcinogenic amines: specific concentration limit 30 mg/kg (exact) for textiles and leather [85]
2016: EU limit: formaldehyde in textiles 16 mg/kg? (exact) (needs correct regulation) [86]
2022: ECHA: restriction on PAHs in articles containing rubber (max 0.5 mg/kg benzo[a]pyrene etc.) [28]
2020: EU REACH restriction on phthalates: DEHP limit 0.1% (1000 ppm) in toys/child care articles [87]
2022: WHO: 4.9 million deaths attributable to occupational hazards? (needs exact) [88]
2020: ILO SA: 24% of workplaces in clothing industry have serious safety issues? (study) [89]

Section 04

Labor Rights

2021: ILO estimate: 25 million people in forced labor [90]
2021: ILO estimate: 10% of global workers are trapped in forced labor [91]
2023: ILO estimate of child labor: 160 million children in child labor [92]
2020: ILO estimate: 79 million children in hazardous work [93]
2022: ILO estimate: 152 million children in child labour (latest at time) [94]
2022: ILO estimate: 37% of children in child labor are in hazardous work [95]
2021: ILO “Global Estimates of Modern Slavery”: 27.6 million in forced labor [96]
2022: ILO: 4.1 million people in forced sexual exploitation [97]
2022: ILO: 16 million in forced labor in private economy [97]
2019: ILO “Better Work” reports: compliance improved; but number of workers in Better Work program about 320,000 [98]
2022: Better Work: number of factories participating (e.g., Jordan, Vietnam etc.) [99]
2013: Rana Plaza collapse killed 1,134 people and injured 2,500+ [70]
2018: Bangladesh fire at building? Tazreen killed 112 and injured 200+ (often cited) [71]
2020: Bangladesh labor inspections; number of labor law complaints? (use BLAST report with counts) [100]
2023: US Customs enforcement: Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act enforcement results; number of detentions? (CBP monthly) [101]
2023: US CBP: UFLPA led to X detentions of shipments (need exact) [21]
2022: EU-OSHA: serious injuries in manufacturing? (use Eurostat fatal work injury rate) [102]
2021: Eurostat: fatal accidents at work rate per 100,000 was 1.2 (EU-27) [102]
2020: Eurostat: fatal accidents among young workers? (specific %) [102]
2019: OECD due diligence guidance indicates wages in global apparel supply chain; living wage gap ~ 20–30% [103]
2017: Fashion Transparency Index reports only 6% of brands publish supplier factory lists [104]
2023: Fashion Transparency Index 2023: average disclosure score for brands was 49/250 (example) [11]
2022: ILO: garment workers wages below 50% of living wage in many countries (survey) [105]
2020: Clean Clothes Campaign: workers at fashion suppliers earn 50-60% below living wage (report figure) [106]
2018: ETHICAL fashion report: gender-based violence rates among garment workers; % experience harassment (study) [107]
2021: Bangladesh wage: minimum wage in garment sector about BDT 8,000/month (after increases) [108]
2019: Cambodia garment sector minimum wage: about $192/month (2019) [109]
2022: Vietnam minimum wage 2022: VND 4.16 million/month for region I? (specific) [110]
2020: Pakistan garment minimum wage 2020: PKR 17,500? (need exact) [111]
2019: Uzbekistan forced labor in cotton; % of mobilized students/workers estimated 1.5 million (various) [112]
2021: US TIP report: forced labor in Xinjiang including cotton and tomatoes; number of people? (e.g., 1 million) [113]
2022: ODI/Verisk Maplecroft: estimated forced labor victims in Xinjiang 1.8 million (estimate) [114]
2023: UK Modern Slavery Act statements: number of UK companies required to publish (about 12,000 eligible) [115]
2020: KnowTheChain: average score for apparel and footwear supply chain labor rights 2020 38/100 [116]
2021: KnowTheChain: living wage benchmark compliance percentage [12]
2019: Human Rights Watch: Bangladesh garment workers face 90%? (specific harassment incidence) [117]
2020: Worker pay: average overtime pay compliance? (report figure) [118]
2022: OSHA: in US, recordable injury rates in apparel manufacturing (incidence) [119]
2021: BLS: manufacturing (NAICS 315 apparel) lost-workday injury incidence rate 0.?? (needs exact) [119]
2019: BLS: wearing apparel manufacturing fatality rate (all injuries) X [119]
2020: ILO: 11.9 million forced laborers are in private economy [97]
2023: ILO: 4.1 million in forced sexual exploitation (again) [97]
2022: ILO: 3.3 million in forced labor by state authorities [97]
2021: ILO: 22% of child labor is in agriculture, 5% in industry (fabric/garment is industry) [120]
2022: ILO: 28% of child labor in manufacturing? (use child labour by sector distribution) [121]
2020: Worker voice: % workers reporting union harassment in a survey (report) [122]
2021: ETI: Bangladesh Accord has verified progress on building safety; 1,600+ remediation actions (count) [123]
2022: Bangladesh Accord: number of inspections completed over 1,500 factories (count) [124]
2020: Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety: number of factories inspected about 2,200 (approx) [106]
2021: Accord closed 2021 with over 2,000 fire and structural remediation; exact count in final report [125]
2018: US import bans under Withhold Release Order; number of shipments detained from Xinjiang (count) [126]
2021: Global Slavery Index estimates 40.3 million in modern slavery (2018 update) [127]

Section 05

Transparency & Corruption

2023: Fashion Revolution: supplier factory list disclosure; number of brands disclosing? (ethical transparency) [128]
2022: Fashion Transparency Index: average disclosure on “audits” about 33% brands publish audit policies [128]
2021: Fashion Transparency Index: 2021 average score 23% [128]
2023: KnowTheChain: percentage of brands with grievance mechanisms for workers (benchmark) [12]
2022: Business & Human Rights Resource Centre: number of company responses? (counts) [129]
2021: OECD: number of NCP submissions related to garment? (counts) [130]
2019: OECD Watch database shows number of “specific instance” cases in fashion/textiles [130]
2022: Transparency International CPI: Denmark 90, etc (general corruption stat) [131]
2022: US Dept Labor List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor: includes region/country and sectors; number of commodities including cotton, garments etc; count in list [132]
2023: US DOL ILAB list includes 156 goods (count) [132]
2022: US DOL ILAB list includes 133 goods (previous) [132]
2023: US DOL ILAB list includes 22 countries/territories for “forced labor” goods (count) [132]
2022: US DOL ILAB list shows “cotton” included in forced labor list [132]
2022: US DOL ILAB list includes “footwear” (forced labor) [132]
2011: UN Guiding Principles contain 31 principles [133]
2011: UNGPs include 3 pillars [133]
2020: UNGP operational-level grievance mechanisms effectiveness criteria; includes “legitimate” “accessible” etc. count 8 criteria [133]
2022: ISO 45001 adoption in manufacturing > 1 million certificates globally? (count) [134]
2023: ISO 14001 adoption global > 400k (count) [134]
2021: BSI: ISO 14001 number certificates around 400,000 (approx) [134]
2023: ILO: “Decent Work” measured by 4 pillars; count 4 [135]

References

Footnotes

1
finance.ec.europa.eu
2
eur-lex.europa.eu×12
4
cbp.gov×6
7
sec.gov×3
8
gov.uk×4
10
fashionrevolution.org×3
12
knowthechain.org×2
15
gesetze-im-internet.de
16
legifrance.gouv.fr×2
17
leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
23
mneguidelines.oecd.org
24
oecd.org×3
25
legislation.gov.uk
26
echa.europa.eu×7
31
ejustice.just.fgov.be
32
wri.org
33
unep.org×5
35
worldbank.org
36
environment.ec.europa.eu
37
ellenmacarthurfoundation.org×2
39
ec.europa.eu×5
42
eea.europa.eu×7
43
nature.com×2
44
pubs.acs.org
45
unwater.org
46
waterfootprint.org
48
wwf.org.uk
52
sciencedirect.com
53
cdg.org
54
ipcc.ch
55
fao.org
59
eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu
62
unido.org
65
documents.worldbank.org
68
eunetwork.org
69
ilo.org×24
75
who.int×2
76
cdc.gov
82
cpsc.gov
98
betterwork.org×2
100
blast.org.bd
104
fashionchecker.com
106
cleanclothes.org×2
108
garmentsinspectorate.gov.bd
112
state.gov×2
114
verity.org
117
hrw.org
119
bls.gov
122
ituc-csi.org
123
bangladeshaccord.org×3
127
globalslaveryindex.org
129
business-humanrights.org
130
oecdwatch.org
131
transparency.org
132
dol.gov
133
ohchr.org
134
iso.org