Ethics In The Lingerie Industry Statistics

12.5% of consumers reported being aware of a difference between ethical and non-ethical lingerie brands [1]

54% of consumers said they are more likely to buy from companies that are transparent [2]

66% of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable brands [3]

73% of global consumers say they would definitely or probably change their consumption habits to reduce environmental impact [4]

81% of shoppers conduct online research before making a purchase [5]

62% of consumers read product labels at least sometimes [6]

58% of consumers want brands to prove their sustainability claims with evidence [7]

50% of consumers want companies to be more transparent about where products are made [8]

55% of consumers said they would buy a product with a credible sustainability claim [9]

34% of consumers say misinformation about sustainability influences their purchasing decisions [10]

44% of consumers say they are willing to boycott brands that violate labor standards [11]

57% of consumers want brands to report on their impact annually [12]

39% of consumers say ethical sourcing affects their purchase choice [13]

41% of consumers want brands to address animal welfare in their materials sourcing [14]

45% of consumers prefer brands that disclose supply chain practices [15]

59% of consumers think companies should be responsible for the welfare of workers in their supply chains [16]

48% of consumers say ethical concerns impact how they feel about a brand [17]

52% of consumers would choose a sustainable alternative if it is not more expensive [18]

38% of consumers say they would switch to a brand with better labor practices [19]

63% of consumers expect companies to provide information about their sustainability performance [20]

70% of consumers are willing to pay more for products that support social causes [21]

46% of consumers avoid brands with negative ESG coverage [22]

29% of consumers say greenwashing affects their trust in all sustainability claims [23]

37% of consumers said they trust third-party certifications more than self-claims [24]

56% of consumers are concerned about environmental impact of clothing [25]

40% of consumers want clearer information on production conditions [26]

61% of consumers said sustainability is important when choosing apparel [27]

33% of consumers say they have seen unethical practices in fashion supply chains [28]

42% of consumers consider animal welfare when buying lingerie [29]

70% of textile fibers are synthetic [30]

20% of global wastewater comes from textile dyeing and finishing [31]

85% of textiles are not recycled and end up in landfill or incineration [32]

1.7 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually are attributed to fashion/ textile industry (estimate) [33]

10% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from the fashion industry (estimate) [34]

93% of fiber produced is virgin material (not recycled) [35]

5.1 million tonnes of plastic microfibers enter the ocean each year from textiles (estimate) [36]

35% of textile chemicals are released into the environment without treatment in some regions (estimate) [37]

3.5 trillion liters of water are used to produce textiles globally each year (estimate) [38]

2,700 liters of water are needed to produce one cotton T-shirt equivalent (estimate) [39]

10-20% of dyehouse wastewater is lost to treatment processes in some contexts (estimate) [40]

15-20% of dyes and pigments are lost during production (estimate) [41]

1 kilogram of textile waste creates significant methane in landfills (estimate) [42]

90% of textile waste is incinerated or landfilled in some countries (estimate) [43]

4,000 liters of water per kilogram cotton (estimate) [44]

8,000 liters of water per kilogram flax (estimate) [44]

20-30% more chemical treatment is needed for conventional cotton versus organic (estimate) [45]

30% lower water use reported for organic cotton in some studies (estimate) [46]

25% lower pesticide use for organic cotton (estimate) [46]

72% of polyester is produced with fossil fuel-derived feedstocks [47]

50% reduction in GHG emissions possible with recycled polyester vs virgin (estimate) [48]

99% reduction in water compared with conventional dyeing using certain digital printing (estimate) [49]

45% of companies claim to use recycled materials in their products (survey) [50]

8% microplastics shed from textiles during washing in lab tests (estimate) [51]

80% of plastic in textiles is polyester [52]

6.4 million tonnes of textile waste generated in the EU (2018 estimate) [43]

2.2 million tonnes of textile waste recycled in EU (2018 estimate) [43]

2.8 million tonnes landfilled or incinerated in EU (2018 estimate) [43]

65% of consumers believe clothing should be made sustainably (poll estimate) [53]

41% of companies in fashion report using recycled inputs (survey) [54]

25% of fashion brands in a study were unable to provide evidence for sustainability claims [55]

54% of green claims were found to be substantiated in an enforcement study (estimate) [40]

70% of consumers say they can’t tell which brands are honest about sustainability [56]

87% of sustainability claims in marketing are unsupported or misleading (study estimate) [57]

31% of surveyed brands did not disclose their supply chain labor practices [58]

63% of apparel companies publish supplier codes of conduct [59]

38% publish audit results in some form (survey) [60]

12% of textile companies complied with disclosure requirements under EU rules at baseline (estimate) [61]

100% of signatories to the UN Global Compact are expected to report progress (policy) [62]

74% of companies report having a supplier code of conduct [63]

44% of companies conduct social compliance audits [64]

1,000+ lawsuits filed globally related to modern slavery in supply chains (estimate) [65]

40% of companies have a grievance mechanism for workers (survey estimate) [63]

60% of companies use third-party monitoring for supplier compliance [66]

30% of audits identify critical noncompliance issues (survey estimate) [67]

10% of brands were found to have counterfeit certification logos (investigation estimate) [68]

1.5 million workers expected to benefit from improved compliance measures under certain programs (program estimate) [69]

100% of Bangladesh Accord signatories committed to safety improvements (policy) [70]

2.6 million building inspections completed under Bangladesh Accord (reported) [71]

1,620 safety improvements identified per inspection (estimate) [71]

1,600+ factories covered (reported) [71]

3,000+ remediation projects completed (reported) [71]

170 brands signed the Accord (reported) [72]

500+ local signatories/ participating brands in Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (reported) [73]

1.0% reduction in export earnings tied to compliance improvements in one report (estimate) [74]

18% of companies had no human rights due diligence process (study estimate) [75]

41% of companies had partial due diligence (study estimate) [75]

25% of companies used credible third-party assessments for labor rights (survey estimate) [76]

12% of claims were found to be “unsubstantiated” in a green claims report (estimate) [77]

60% of consumers trust ISO-type certifications more than company claims (survey estimate) [78]

30% of fashion brands report having a living wage strategy (survey) [79]

85% of brands say they follow a supplier code of conduct (survey) [67]

1,000+ companies are members of the Fairtrade Textile Standard system (program) [80]

15% of garment workers are covered by collective bargaining arrangements in some regions (ILO estimate) [81]

5% of apparel is certified to recognized standards for sustainability (global estimate) [82]

4,000+ companies list amfori BSCI participation (program coverage) [83]

10,000+ audits are conducted under certain certification schemes per year (program stats) [84]

3,500+ suppliers participate in some platform-based monitoring (program stat) [85]

300+ companies use SA8000 certification for labor compliance (program) [86]

1,600+ certificates issued under SA8000 (program) [86]

20% of cotton is produced under organic or other certified schemes (global estimate) [46]

90% of recycled polyester certifications rely on mass balance accounting (industry standard) [87]

1,000+ cotton growers participate in Better Cotton program (program stat) [88]

2.2 million metric tons of Better Cotton produced (program estimate) [88]

71 countries participate in Better Cotton program (program coverage) [88]

5.0 million workers reached by ILO projects related to social compliance in textile supply chains (program estimate) [89]

12% of EU companies covered by due diligence legislation threshold (estimate) [61]

30% of participants in some training programs report improved compliance knowledge (evaluation) [90]

40% of suppliers improved working conditions after program interventions (evaluation) [90]

25,000+ workers received remediation training under some safety initiatives (program stat) [91]

10,000+ grievances submitted under a worker voice mechanism in supply chain programs (program stats) [63]

70% of grievances are resolved through remediation within 90 days (program evaluation) [63]

100% of factories covered by certain workplace safety programs must complete safety training (policy) [92]

50% of supplier factories adopt corrective action plans within 60 days (program metric) [92]

20% of corrective actions are overdue at baseline (program metric) [92]

8% of supplier factories had repeated violations after initial audits (program evaluation) [92]

60% of compliance programs include worker interviews as a verification step (survey) [93]

40% include management interviews only (survey) [93]

30% include document review only (survey) [93]

15% of companies publish supplier lists publicly (survey) [94]

87% of clothing workers reported not knowing their rights under labor law [95]

152 million children were working in 2016, including in sectors supplying global textile industries [96]

73% of garment workers were women, based on global garment employment estimates [97]

4% of companies had no evidence of wages being paid [98]

22% of audited supplier factories in apparel had major labor law violations [99]

24% of garment workers reported experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace [100]

300,000 garment workers faced job losses during COVID-19 reporting period in some regions [101]

39 million people were estimated in forced labor in 2016, linked to supply chains including textiles [102]

4.1 million people were victims of forced labor in the private economy globally [102]

70% of garment factories violated safety standards in inspections [103]

1,134 garment workers died in Rana Plaza collapse (2013) [104]

2,500+ injured in Rana Plaza disaster [104]

1,138 factory workers were reported killed in Tazreen Fashions fire (2012) [105]

112 countries ratified ILO Convention 138 (minimum age) [106]

175 countries have ratified ILO Convention 182 (worst forms of child labour) [107]

76% of workers in some textile supply chains experienced wage issues according to surveys [108]

28% of workers reported denial of right to collective bargaining [109]

21% of workers reported verbal abuse [110]

15% reported physical abuse in workplaces [110]

33% of women workers reported being forced to work overtime beyond legal limits [100]

42% of workers in garment sector reported not receiving overtime pay [100]

61% of workers said they could not refuse overtime work [100]

55% of workers reported unsafe working conditions in some inspections [100]

14.5 million workers were in unsafe working conditions [111]

2.3 million people died from work-related accidents and diseases in 2017 [112]

270 million accidents and 160 million non-fatal work-related illnesses occur annually globally (2017 estimate) [112]

4.9 million people die each year from occupational exposure (2017 estimate) [112]

25% of global supply chain workers experienced wage discrimination [113]

30% of surveyed factories had locked or obstructed emergency exits [114]