Ethics In The Fashion Industry Statistics

The European Commission’s 2017 Special Eurobarometer found that 87% of EU citizens believe global supply chains should be more transparent [1]

In the 2018 European Commission survey, 84% of respondents said they want companies to disclose more information about their supply chains [2]

In a 2020 global consumer survey by IBM, 57% of respondents said they would change their shopping habits to reduce environmental impact [3]

In the 2021 IBM “Global Consumer Study,” 55% of consumers said they are willing to change their buying habits to reduce negative environmental impact [4]

The 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer reported that 68% of people expect businesses to do the right thing [5]

The 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer found 58% of employees believe CEOs should be held accountable for ethical behavior [5]

A 2023 Deloitte survey (Deloitte Global Consumer Survey) found 49% of consumers expect brands to be transparent about sourcing and sustainability [6]

In the 2023 Deloitte Global survey, 46% of consumers said they are willing to pay more for ethical products [6]

A 2021 survey by McKinsey showed 67% of global consumers consider sustainability when making purchasing decisions [7]

In McKinsey’s 2020 “Consumer Health and Well-being” related survey, 60% of respondents said they would pay more for products from companies that are sustainable [8]

In a 2020 survey by Ethical Consumer, 73% of respondents said they would like brands to be more transparent about their supply chains [9]

The 2019 “Fashion Transparency Index” methodology indicates that fewer than 5% of the world’s top fashion brands publish full supplier lists [10]

Fashion Revolution’s 2021 report states that only 15% of brands scored “publicly disclose at least one meaningful action” regarding worker safety [11]

Clean Clothes Campaign reported that 70% of consumers want stronger enforcement of labor rights in garment supply chains [12]

A 2019 survey by Morning Consult for Fast Fashion/ethics indicated 45% of adults were concerned about labor conditions in garment production [13]

A 2021 survey by YouGov found 58% of UK shoppers agree that fashion brands should be transparent about how garment workers are treated [14]

A 2022 YouGov survey found 63% of respondents support requiring disclosure of supply-chain practices [15]

In the 2018 “Global Consumer Staples Study” by Nielsen, 73% of consumers said they would pay more for products from companies committed to sustainability [16]

Nielsen’s 2019 report “The Sustainability Imperative” found 73% of consumers would definitely or probably change their consumption habits to reduce impact [17]

IBM’s 2018 consumer study reported 35% of consumers are willing to pay more for products from sustainable brands [18]

In an Accenture 2020 study, 62% of consumers said they want brands to help them understand how products were made ethically [19]

In the 2020 Accenture study, 60% said it matters that a company’s brand is ethical [19]

A 2021 Ipsos survey reported 49% of respondents believed companies should be required to disclose where they source materials [20]

A 2022 Ipsos survey reported 53% of respondents consider ethical production important [21]

In the 2022 “State of Fashion” survey (McKinsey), 70% of executives said sustainability expectations were rising among consumers [22]

In McKinsey’s 2023 “State of Fashion” survey, 65% of executives said customers are more demanding regarding sustainability [23]

A 2023 survey by Fashion Revolution reported that 63% of consumers want fashion brands to disclose their supply chains [24]

In the 2023 “Fashion Transparency Index,” Fashion Revolution calculated that the median brand score remained below 50/100 [11]

The Global Fashion Agenda estimated that the fashion industry produces 20% of global wastewater [25]

The UN Environment Programme reported that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions [26]

UN Environment Programme reported that 20% of global wastewater comes from textile dyeing and finishing [27]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation reported that fashion accounts for about 10% of global carbon emissions [28]

The European Environment Agency estimated that EU textile production and consumption generate roughly 654 kg of material footprint per person annually (EU average) [29]

The EEA “Textiles in Europe—an analysis of environmental impacts” reported that textile consumption and production in the EU generated about 2.1 million tonnes of hazardous waste [29]

The EEA report stated that textiles account for 6% of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions (waste and production footprint share) [29]

The EEA report estimated the EU’s textile waste generation at about 5.8 million tonnes in 2014 [29]

The EU Parliament briefing estimated that the EU generates around 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste annually [30]

The European Commission Impact Assessment for the Sustainable and Circular Textiles Strategy estimated that textile waste in the EU increases by about 40% by 2030 without additional measures [31]

The EU Commission estimated that EU textile waste generation could reach 9.6 million tonnes by 2030 [31]

The European Commission estimated that an average EU citizen buys about 26 kg of textiles per year [32]

The European Commission stated that a large share (about 70%) of textiles collected are not recycled in practice [32]

The European Environment Agency estimated that only around 1% of textiles are recycled into new textiles in the EU [29]

The EEA report cited that more than 50% of textiles in the EU are disposed through landfill or incineration [29]

The Water Footprint Network estimated typical jeans production requires about 7,500 liters of water per pair (global average) [33]

The Water Footprint Network estimated that a cotton t-shirt requires about 2,700 liters of water [34]

The Water Footprint Network estimated that a cotton blouse requires about 2,500 liters of water [35]

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that manufacturing and processing of apparel and textiles is a significant share of global industrial energy use (contextual) [36]

Textile Exchange reported that 13% of global fiber usage was certified organic/preferred cotton in 2022 (mix share) [37]

Textile Exchange reported that the share of recycled polyester increased to 19% of polyester in 2022 (PET bottle-grade share) [38]

Textile Exchange’s 2023 Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report reported recycled polyester volumes grew to about 3.4 million metric tons (global, preferred fiber scope) [39]

The McKinsey analysis estimated that over 200 million tonnes of textiles are produced annually worldwide [22]

The Global Fashion Agenda estimated that textile value chain emissions represent 2.1 billion tonnes CO2e per year (context) [25]

The UNFCCC “fast fashion” emissions cited by UN indicated apparel’s footprint contributes significantly (contextual 10%) [40]

The OECD estimated that textile washing contributes to microfiber pollution; a commonly cited figure is ~500,000 tonnes of microfibers are released annually (context) [41]

The European Commission’s “Microplastics” briefing estimated that textile washing is a major source of microfibers [42]

The European Chemicals Agency reported that per year, about 42 million tonnes of plastic are produced in the EU (context for polyester) [43]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation reported that only 14% of materials are cycled back into the economy (circularity figure) [44]

The World Bank estimated that annual textile waste generation in low- and middle-income countries is increasing and could reach ~15 million tonnes by 2050 (context) [45]

The UNIDO report estimated that dyeing can contribute significant chemical pollutants; one source reported 20-30% of industrial water pollution comes from textile dyeing [46]

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency reported that microfiber emissions from washing can reach hundreds of thousands of tonnes annually in Europe (contextual) [47]

The US EPA stated that textile waste contributes to landfill emissions of methane and that textile landfills can persist for decades [48]

The EPA reported that landfilled textiles contribute to greenhouse gas emissions when they decompose [49]

The EU’s “Waste Framework Directive” implementation data indicated textile waste is a priority stream and includes about 12.6 million tonnes per year [50]

Fashion Revolution’s “Fashion Transparency Index” showed that 26% of brands provide some level of supplier disclosure [11]

Fashion Revolution’s “Fashion Transparency Index 2023” reported that the mean overall transparency score was 44.5/100 [11]

Fashion Revolution’s “Transparency Index 2024” reported that the majority of brands still do not publish full details of their factories [11]

The Fashion Transparency Index 2023 showed that only 3% of brands disclose full supplier lists [11]

The Fashion Transparency Index 2021 found that 75% of brands do not publish how they pay their workers [11]

The OECD “Responsible Business Conduct” due diligence guidance indicates that companies should identify and assess actual and potential adverse impacts [51]

The EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (adopted text) requires due diligence across the supply chain for certain large companies (threshold) [52]

The EU Green Claims Directive (proposal) aims to stop misleading environmental claims and estimated coverage includes all fashion consumer products making environmental claims (context) [53]

The EU Commission’s “Sustainable and Circular Textiles Strategy” sets a target that by 2030, all textiles on the EU market should be designed to be durable, repairable, and recyclable (policy target) [54]

The EU Strategy includes a target that by 2030, collection systems will enable reuse and recycling of at least 25% of textile waste [54]

The EU strategy states that by 2030, at least 10% of textile waste should be reused [54]

The EU strategy calls for extended producer responsibility to cover textiles (policy) [54]

The German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz) covers companies with 3,000 employees from 2023 (threshold) [55]

The German Supply Chain Act threshold reduces to 1,000 employees from 2024 (expansion) [55]

France’s duty of vigilance law required large companies to publish a “plan de vigilance” (legal duty) for specified thresholds (context) [56]

The UK Modern Slavery Act requires qualifying companies to publish a modern slavery statement, threshold applies to companies with turnover over GBP 36 million (threshold) [57]

The UK Home Office reported that there were 16,000+ modern slavery statements published (as of certain reporting) [58]

The UK Modern Slavery Transparency in Supply Chains report found compliance gaps, with only about 15% demonstrating adequate consultation (survey) [59]

The US SEC conflict minerals? (not fashion-specific) reported that supply chain due diligence is expected; using SEC rules (context) [60]

The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) establish that states should protect against human rights abuse by business (3-pillars) [61]

The UNGPs state that business enterprises should carry out human rights due diligence to identify and address risks [61]

The UNGPs include that companies should provide for or cooperate in remediation (grievance) [61]

The OECD due diligence guidance says companies should base due diligence on meaningful stakeholder engagement (procedural) [62]

The OECD 2022 Annual Report on Responsible Business Conduct noted continued growth in responsible supply chain policies (context) [63]

The UK National Contact Point (OECD) found non-compliance with OECD recommendations in specific complaints (context) [64]

The US Fair Labor Association found that 1 in 5 garments sold may be linked to unpaid wages in high-risk supply chains (based on supplier assessments) [65]

The ILO estimated that 152 million children are involved in child labour globally [66]

The ILO reported that 27.6 million people are in forced labour worldwide [67]

ILO estimated that 99% of forced labour victims are exploited by private actors [68]

The ILO’s “Global Estimates of Child Labour” (2021) reported that 160 million children are engaged in child labour [69]

The ILO/Walk Free/Geneva reported that 5.4 million people are in forced labour in the Asia-Pacific [70]

UNICEF estimated that 1 in 5 children worldwide are not in school [71]

The US Department of State “Trafficking in Persons Report 2023” estimated 27.6 million people are in forced labour globally (ILO figure cited) [72]

Verité’s research on Bangladesh found that homeworkers can work 12-16 hours per day [73]

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre reported that Rana Plaza victims included at least 1,134 fatalities [74]

The Rana Plaza disaster official report (Bangladesh government) reported 1,134 deaths [75]

ILO reported 1,134 garment workers died in the Rana Plaza collapse (commonly cited figure) [76]

The Clean Clothes Campaign stated the Rana Plaza collapse resulted in over 2,500 injuries [77]

The Global Slavery Index 2023 estimated 4.2 per 1,000 people are in modern slavery in Bangladesh [78]

The Global Slavery Index 2023 estimated 3.8 per 1,000 people are in modern slavery in India [79]

The Global Slavery Index 2023 estimated 2.7 per 1,000 people are in modern slavery in Vietnam [80]

The Global Slavery Index 2023 estimated 2.5 per 1,000 people are in modern slavery in Thailand [81]

The 2021 “Forced Labour and Human Rights” report by ILO stated that forced labour occurs in multiple sectors including manufacturing [82]

The ILO’s “Better Work” program reported average compliance improvements of 50% across assessed factories (program-level average) [83]

Better Work reported that in 2021, 75% of workers had at least one audit follow-up action implemented [84]

Center for Global Workers’ Rights estimated that workers in Bangladesh’s garment sector can earn less than a living wage by 60% [85]

International Labour Organization indicated that garment sector workers often face wage levels below poverty line, citing typical wage shortfalls of 20-30% (sector studies) [86]

The Clean Clothes Campaign report “Wage Theft in Bangladesh” estimated wage theft cases affecting about 30-40% of workers in interviewed factories [87]

The ILO reported that globally 20.9 million workers are in forced labour linked to private sector exploitation [88]

ILO estimated 3.5 million people are in forced sexual exploitation [89]

ILO reported that 14.2 million people are in forced labour imposed by state authorities [89]

ILO estimated that 152 million children are in child labour, of whom 72 million are in hazardous work [66]

ILO’s 2021 “Child Labour Estimates” indicated 70.9 million children in hazardous work [69]

ILO and UNICEF estimated that 160 million children are in child labour (2020) [90]

The OECD estimated that 2.7 million children may be affected by forced labour in supply chains (contextual figure) [91]

The ITUC Global Rights Index 2023 reported an index score for Bangladesh of 3.2/5 (indicating severe violations) [92]

The ITUC Global Rights Index 2023 reported that Cambodia had a score of 3.5/5 [92]

The US Department of Labor’s 2023 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor included “cotton” and “apparel” categories tied to specific countries [93]

US Department of Labor’s ILAB report “Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor 2022” included garment-related sectors in multiple countries [94]

Verité’s “Bangladesh: Conditions for Garment Workers” reported that garment workers’ monthly wages averaged around $96 in surveyed facilities (2019 study) [95]

The ILO estimated that in 2022, 4.3 million people are victims of forced labour in manufacturing [96]

The ILO estimated 27.6 million victims of forced labour globally (2021 global estimates) [97]

The ILO estimated 24.9 million people are in forced labour for private purposes [97]

The OECD “Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct” cites that 2 out of 3 workers in global supply chains may be subject to precarious conditions (general stat) [51]

The ILO reported that occupational accidents and diseases cause about 2.78 million deaths per year [98]

The ILO estimated about 374 million non-fatal work-related injuries per year [98]

The ILO estimated 19.4 million work-related illnesses per year [98]

The OECD and ILO report “Due Diligence for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector” notes that 80% of workers are in informal or subcontracted arrangements (context) [99]

OECD reported subcontracting often reduces transparency and makes due diligence harder (contextual) [99]

The 2014 Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety led to inspections of more than 1,600 factories [100]

The Accord reported remediation of 45,000 fire and safety issues (cumulative) [100]

The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety reported that it inspected 1,600+ factories [101]

The Alliance reported 30,000+ safety issues remediated [101]