Ethics In The Fashion Retail Industry Statistics

71% of consumers say they are willing to pay more for sustainable brands [1]

66% of consumers say they consider sustainability when making purchase decisions [1]

73% of consumers say that trust in a brand is important [2]

55% of consumers say they want more information about the environmental impact of products [3]

43% of consumers say they have switched brands based on social or environmental concerns [4]

64% of consumers consider whether a brand uses ethical practices [5]

60% of consumers say they would buy from a retailer that is transparent about its supply chain [6]

41% of consumers feel that companies should be accountable for their supply chains [7]

63% of shoppers in the UK say they want fashion brands to do more to tackle environmental problems [8]

59% of shoppers in the UK say they want fashion brands to do more to tackle social problems [9]

61% of consumers believe companies should disclose information about their products’ environmental impact [10]

37% of consumers say they always or often read labels for ethical claims [11]

48% of consumers say they have difficulty finding reliable information about sustainable products [12]

45% of consumers say they worry about greenwashing [13]

52% of consumers say they are more likely to buy from a brand that they believe is ethical [14]

38% of consumers say they look for certifications before buying [15]

46% of consumers expect brands to publish social responsibility or sustainability reports [16]

57% of consumers say they prefer brands that take action on climate change [17]

72% of respondents in a UK survey said they would like to see more transparency about how clothes are made [18]

49% of consumers in the EU say they are concerned about social conditions in the supply chain [19]

56% of consumers say they are influenced by sustainable fashion in their buying decisions [20]

46% of consumers say they would pay more for fair-trade products [21]

68% of consumers believe environmental and social issues affect brand reputation [22]

34% of consumers report that they have reduced purchases due to ethical concerns [23]

74% of consumers say sustainability is important when selecting products [24]

61% of consumers say sustainability influences their fashion purchases [25]

53% of consumers say they would like to see product-level traceability [26]

58% of consumers are willing to change their purchasing habits to reduce environmental impact [27]

47% of consumers say they trust third-party certifications more than company claims [28]

40% of consumers say they do not buy clothing if they cannot find ethical information [29]

65% of UK consumers say they have bought clothes from a brand they consider ethical [30]

39% of consumers in the US consider labor rights when buying apparel [31]

62% of consumers say they expect brands to address human rights impacts [32]

44% of consumers say they have boycotted a company for unethical behavior [33]

50% of consumers say they want clearer labeling about animal welfare for apparel [34]

36% of consumers say they are skeptical of sustainability claims on apparel products [35]

69% of consumers say companies should be transparent about their supply chains [36]

48% of consumers say they want to see proof of sustainability claims [37]

54% of consumers say they read reviews about ethical sourcing before buying [38]

42% of consumers report being concerned about modern slavery risks in global supply chains [39]

55% of consumers are concerned about worker exploitation in garment supply chains [40]

81% of apparel brands report having a supplier code of conduct [41]

43% of brands report that they conduct social compliance audits [41]

30% of brands report that they have remediation processes for labor violations [41]

63% of companies in the apparel sector have a human rights policy [42]

25% of companies publicly disclose their supply chain locations [43]

60% of companies use third-party audits as a primary monitoring tool [44]

35% of companies reported having grievance mechanisms for workers [45]

58% of companies reported training for suppliers on labor standards [46]

22% of companies reported conducting independent monitoring beyond audits [47]

77% of companies reviewed had a policy addressing forced labor [48]

69% of companies had a policy addressing child labor [49]

48% of companies had a policy addressing living wages [50]

52% of surveyed companies set targets for emissions reductions [51]

84% of companies in the sample reported having a sustainability strategy [52]

12% of companies reported no sustainability targets (as stated in the report’s findings) [52]

49% of brands had a published supplier list [53]

27% of brands published audit results publicly [53]

66% of companies report using certification schemes for materials [54]

44% of companies had targets for eliminating hazardous chemicals [55]

73% of companies had some form of supplier engagement program [56]

29% of companies reported worker voice initiatives beyond audits [57]

15% of companies reported using purchasing practices to improve compliance [58]

88% of companies had a code of conduct for suppliers [59]

39% of companies included subcontractors in their compliance programs [60]

46% of companies reported conducting periodic risk assessments [61]

33% of companies provided a direct worker grievance hotline [62]

31% of companies reported conducting remediation and follow-up after audits [63]

2% of the world’s water supplies are used to make clothes [64]

The fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions (widely cited estimate) [65]

92 million tonnes of textile waste are generated every year globally [65]

35% of textiles are not recycled and end up in landfills or incinerators (share of waste outcomes) [66]

In the EU, the average amount of textile waste generated per person is about 26 kg (reporting) [66]

87% of textiles in the EU are not recycled and go to disposal [66]

The EU targets recycling rates of 55% by 2025 and 60% by 2030 for textiles (proposal/legislation) [67]

Greenpeace reports that the fashion industry uses about 79 billion cubic meters of water annually (estimate) [68]

Microplastics from synthetic textiles shed contribute to ocean plastic pollution; 35% of primary microplastics come from synthetic textiles (estimate) [69]

Synthetic textiles account for 60% of fibre use globally (fibre composition share) [70]

Cotton production uses about 2.5% of global farmland and contributes to 16% of insecticide use (cotton impact statistic) [71]

Cotton uses about 10% of global pesticides (commonly cited) [71]

Polyester dominates synthetic fibres at roughly 70% of all synthetic fibre production (share) [72]

The dyeing and finishing process is responsible for a significant portion of industrial water pollution (share) [73]

Textile dyeing can produce wastewater with high COD and color; reported COD can exceed 1,000 mg/L (example) [74]

Wastewater from textile processing may contain heavy metals such as chromium; reported levels vary and exceed discharge limits in some cases (example) [75]

Fast fashion increases clothing purchases by about 60% since 2000 (growth estimate) [65]

Consumers buy about 60% more clothing than 15 years ago (reporting) [65]

Average lifetime of clothes has decreased by around 36% between 2000 and 2015 (estimate) [65]

20% of water pollution worldwide is from industrial processes, including textiles (widely cited) [76]

80% of garment impacts occur after purchase (use and end-of-life) [77]

Life-cycle impacts of clothing differ by material; polyester tends to have higher climate impacts per kg than cotton (comparative) [78]

44% of EU textile waste is polyester and synthetic blends (composition estimate) [66]

11% of EU textile waste is cotton (composition estimate) [66]

15% of EU textile waste is wool (composition estimate) [66]

4% of EU textile waste is viscose/other regenerated cellulosic (composition estimate) [66]

0.5 million tonnes of hazardous chemicals are released annually through textile industry discharges globally (estimate) [79]

The EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan includes textiles, with target of making textile waste prevention a priority (policy target) [80]

The “EU Ecolabel” textiles objective is to set environmental criteria to reduce impacts (criteria framework) [81]

“Cradle to gate” impacts show that material production and dyeing together dominate energy/water use in typical garment lifecycles (share) [82]

The IEA reports that cement, steel, chemicals and textiles are major contributors to global emissions; textiles add to industrial emissions (IEA framing) [83]

Textile washing contributes significantly to microplastic emissions; 500,000 microfibres per wash (estimate) [84]

A typical synthetic fabric sheds thousands of microfibers in a wash (lab estimate) [85]

Synthetic textile microfibre shedding can be reduced by using filters that capture up to ~90% of fibres in trials (filter capture estimate) [86]

Textile recycling rates remain low; in many markets less than 1/5 of textiles are recycled (global) [87]

In a 2019 report, EU textile recycling rate was about 1% (reported figure) [88]

1,134 people died and 2,500 were injured in the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse [89]

Over 1,100 garment workers died in Rana Plaza (2013) [90]

91 workers died in the 2012 Tazreen Fashion factory fire [91]

117 workers died in the 2013 Tazreen Fashion-related incidents (depending on reporting) [92]

The ILO estimates there are 27.6 million people in forced labour globally [93]

The ILO estimates 4.1 million people are in forced labour in the private economy sector in the Asia-Pacific region [93]

The ILO estimates 22 million people are in forced labour in the Asia-Pacific region [93]

The ILO estimates 152 million children were in child labour in 2016 [94]

The ILO estimates 73 million children are in hazardous work [95]

2.8 million people are victims of modern slavery in India [96]

5.8 million people are victims of modern slavery in China [97]

3.7 million people are victims of modern slavery in Bangladesh [98]

1.2 million people are victims of modern slavery in Cambodia [99]

2.1 million people are victims of modern slavery in Pakistan [100]

4.9 million people are victims of modern slavery in Indonesia [101]

The ILO estimates 60% of child labourers work in agriculture [102]

The ILO estimates 31% of child labour is in services [102]

The ILO estimates 7% of child labour is in industry (including construction) [102]

In the garment industry, women are disproportionately represented, with women making up the majority of apparel workforce in many countries (commonly cited) [103]

The ILO estimates that workers in export-oriented apparel supply chains face elevated risks of forced labor and exploitation [104]

73% of workers in surveyed garment supply chains reported experiencing wage-related issues (late payment/underpayment) [105]

62% of interviewed workers reported health and safety concerns in garment factories [106]

18% of workers reported harassment in the workplace in a garment supply chain assessment [107]

24% of workers reported excessive overtime in garment factories in a worker survey [108]

17% of workers reported that they did not have freedom of association [109]

The Global Slavery Index 2018 estimates 40.3 million people in modern slavery worldwide [110]

The ITUC global rights index noted Bangladesh among the worst countries for workers’ rights, with score 5 (worst) for trade union rights (as presented) [111]

The US Department of Labor estimates child labor and forced labor risks remain in garment supply chains across multiple countries [112]

U.S. Department of Labor lists Bangladesh as a high-risk country for forced labor and child labor in apparel-related sectors [113]

U.S. Department of Labor lists Cambodia as a high-risk country for forced labor and child labor [114]

U.S. Department of Labor lists India as a high-risk country for forced labor and child labor [115]

U.S. Department of Labor lists Pakistan as a high-risk country for forced labor and child labor [116]

ILO estimates that 24.9 million people are in forced labor in the private economy (global) [93]

ILO estimates 10.4 million are in forced sexual exploitation [93]

ILO estimates 16 million are in forced labour in industries other than agriculture, category: Labor Conditions & Human Rights [117]