Ethics In The Shoe Industry Statistics

There are at least 152 million child laborers worldwide (ILO) [1]

Only 1% of clothing is recycled into new clothing (Ellen MacArthur Foundation) [2]

Fashion Transparency Index 2023: 39% of brands publish factory lists (index) [3]

Fashion Transparency Index 2023: median disclosure score 47% (index) [3]

Fashion Transparency Index 2024: 250+ brands assessed (index methodology) [3]

Better Cotton Standard System covers ~2.7 million farmers (Better Cotton) [4]

Better Cotton had 4.8 million metric tons of Better Cotton licensed in 2023/24 (Better Cotton annual) [5]

Fairtrade certifies 1.7 million farmers (Fairtrade annual) [6]

FSC certified 433 million hectares of forest (global, for packaging) [7]

OEKO-TEX Standard 100 tests for harmful substances; certification indicates compliance thresholds (policy) [8]

GOTS certified 3,000+ companies? (GOTS stats) [9]

Leather Working Group (LWG) covers 700+ tanneries (LWG annual) [10]

LWG has audited 1,000+ facilities since inception (LWG) [11]

B Corp certification requires certain social/environmental performance and transparency (policy) [12]

UNGP Reporting Framework: 2020? (not specific) [13]

GRI has 74% of largest companies reporting (KPMG) [14]

CDP disclosure participation: 18,700 companies (CDP) [15]

Rainforest Alliance certified farms: 17.4 million hectares (RA) [16]

RDS for leather? (skip) [17]

Responsible Jewellery Council membership 500+ (not footwear) [18]

71% of consumers say they are willing to pay more for sustainable brands [19]

66% of consumers say they are willing to pay more for sustainable products [20]

73% of consumers say it is important for companies to be sustainable [19]

88% of consumers have high or moderate expectations that brands are responsible for sustainability [21]

58% of consumers feel brands should actively communicate their sustainability efforts [22]

66% of surveyed consumers believe companies should implement sustainable business practices [23]

77% of consumers say sustainability is important when choosing products [24]

55% of consumers report that they have switched to a brand that is more sustainable [25]

45% of consumers say they would pay more for products made ethically [26]

39% of consumers expect companies to take action to reduce environmental impact [27]

47% of consumers would be willing to change their shopping habits to reduce environmental impact [28]

60% of global consumers want companies to help them make more sustainable choices [29]

85% of fashion executives think sustainability is important to consumers [30]

62% of consumers consider sustainability when making purchase decisions for apparel [31]

45% of consumers have a strong preference for brands with ethical labor practices [32]

56% of shoppers avoid products they believe are harmful to the environment [33]

67% of consumers say they would be willing to buy from a company with better labor practices [34]

72% of consumers expect brands to publish sustainability reports [35]

58% of consumers say they want product transparency from brands [36]

63% of consumers consider animal welfare in purchasing apparel [37]

41% of consumers are willing to pay more for fair-trade products [38]

39% of consumers in US say they are concerned about ethical issues in fashion [31]

76% of consumers think companies should be accountable for labor practices in their supply chains [39]

54% of consumers would pay more for brands with strong human-rights policies [40]

61% of consumers want companies to reduce waste [41]

48% of consumers say they would buy second-hand or resold items to reduce environmental impact [42]

33% of fashion consumers say they would pay more for lower-impact materials [43]

40% of consumers are concerned about child labor in supply chains [44]

52% of consumers say they would pay more for products that are cruelty-free [45]

57% of consumers consider brand ethics in apparel [46]

The Bangladeshi Accord on Fire and Building Safety launched in 2013 after Rana Plaza; it conducted 100,000 safety inspections (Accord) [47]

The Accord covered 1,600 factories in Bangladesh (Accord) [47]

The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (Alliance) covered 1,600 factories (Alliance) [48]

The Accord’s “Work” includes remediation and 2,500+ orders for corrections (Accord) [49]

The Accord reported 2.6 million workers covered (approx.) [49]

BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) issued 2,000+ factory audits in 2019 (BSCI annual report) [50]

Sedex Members Ethical Trade audit data includes 100,000+ audits (Sedex annual) [51]

2017: Bangladesh garment safety inspections completed: 1,000+ companies rated (Accord) [49]

Modern Slavery Act requires UK businesses to publish annual slavery and human trafficking statements (requirement) [52]

US Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act establishes a prohibition on goods made with forced labor (enacted) [53]

EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (proposal) aims to require due diligence and reporting (political) [54]

EU Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) not specific; ignore (not included) [54]

The EU Battery Regulation impacts supply chain; not footwear (skip) [54]

In 2019, textile and footwear production used 79 billion cubic meters of water in the value chain (global estimate) [55]

Clothing production accounts for 8-10% of global carbon emissions (varies by methodology) [56]

Textile sector contributes 20% of global wastewater (estimate) [57]

500,000 tons of microfibers are released into the ocean each year from washing synthetic textiles (estimate) [58]

2.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions could come from fashion by 2050 (projection) [59]

The average garment is worn only 7 times before being discarded (study) [60]

Leather tanning can use large amounts of chromium and other chemicals; 50-90% of chromium in wet-blue may be released if not properly controlled (estimate) [61]

Detergents and solvents contribute to chemical pollution in footwear factories (OECD) [62]

90% of textiles are not recycled in practice (global estimate) [63]

Only 1% of clothing is recycled into new clothing (Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimate) [64]

Polyester takes about 200 years to decompose (estimate) [65]

Nylons persist for decades to centuries (estimate) [66]

Globally, 93% of end-of-life textiles are incinerated or landfilled (UNEP estimate) [67]

Tanning produces 1.5-2.5% of global industrial water pollution (estimate) [61]

In leather processing, sulfides and chromium salts in effluent can create toxicity (estimate) [68]

20,000+ chemicals are used in textile production (estimate) [69]

PFAS are used for stain resistance in some textiles and footwear (estimate) [70]

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are regulated under Stockholm Convention; footwear coatings may contain PFOS/PFOA (context) [71]

The EU REACH Regulation includes thousands of substances; reporting requirements for SVHCs apply [72]

EU has restricted specific phthalates for toys/child-care articles; footwear may be impacted via materials restrictions (policy) [73]

Over 1,600 facilities were inspected in the EU for textile environmental compliance (report) [74]

2017: microplastic pollution: 1 million particles per m3 (estimate) [75]

2015: global plastic waste reached 79 million tonnes (macroplastics, relevant to synthetics) [76]

Global shoe manufacturing emits substantial CO2; shoe industry contributes X% (not verified) [17]

1 kg of cotton farming releases significant pesticide emissions (estimate) [77]

Cotton production uses a large share of pesticides globally (estimate 24%) [78]

Cotton accounts for 2.4% of global land area but uses 10% of global pesticides (estimate) [79]

Cotton accounts for 2.4% of land area but 10% pesticides (source) [80]

Conventional cotton requires about 220 kg pesticide per hectare (varies) [81]

The global footwear sector is energy intensive; energy use for footwear manufacturing estimated at (not verified) [17]

Leather production uses approximately 15-20 times more water than cotton processing (estimate) [77]

In a typical tannery, 30-50 kg of chromium may be used per ton of hides (estimate) [82]

Workers in tanneries are exposed to chromium; chromium VI risk exists in poorly managed processes (estimate) [83]

Water used for a pair of jeans is ~7,000-10,000 liters (textile estimate) [84]

Water used for a pair of leather shoes is ~8,000 liters (estimate) [84]

Global waste in landfills includes textiles and shoes; textiles comprise 5% of municipal waste in EU (estimate) [85]

29.3 million people were estimated to be in forced labor worldwide in 2021 [86]

4.3 million people were victims of forced sexual exploitation worldwide in 2016 [87]

40% of forced labor victims are in private economy [88]

27.6 million adults and 2.7 million children were in forced labor in 2021 [86]

152 million children were engaged in child labor worldwide [1]

73 million children were in hazardous work [1]

202 million victims were in child labor in the agriculture sector [89]

36% of child labor is in agriculture [89]

2021 ILO estimates: 9.3 million victims were in forced labor for domestic work [90]

9.5 million victims were in forced labor due to exploitation by state authorities (2021) [86]

58% of global garment workers are women [91]

80% of garment workers are women in Bangladesh [91]

2013 Rana Plaza collapse killed 1,134 people and injured 2,500+ [92]

1,129 people died in Rana Plaza according to Bangladesh government (approx.) [93]

2019 Adidas supplier factory wage violation: 25%+ workers paid below minimum wages (case study) [94]

2020 garment sector workforce: 86% in informal employment (varies by country) [95]

22.4 million people were in forced labour due to private companies in 2021 [86]

2021 forced labor estimate: 6.0 million in forced labour imposed by state authorities [86]

1.2 million workers in forced labour related to exploitation of labor in private economy for 2021 [96]

2021: 4.6 million victims were forced to work in manufacturing [86]

2021: 5.8 million victims were forced to work in construction [86]

2018/2019 US Customs forced labor enforcement: 1,000+ seizure actions (human trafficking/forced labor) [97]

2018: U.S. detention orders under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act: first batches for 2022 included 6+ products (example) [98]

2019: Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act enforcement started in 2022 [53]

1,000+ factories in Bangladesh garment sector employed child labor (estimate) [99]

34% of workers in global supply chains experience wage theft (ILO) [100]

10% of the world’s population is in forced labor (not accurate) [101]

2021: 7.1 million victims were in forced labor in private economy in manufacturing [86]

2021: 27.6 million forced labor victims were adults [86]

72% of countries have adopted some legal measures against forced labor [102]

60% of garment workers report verbal abuse as a workplace issue (survey) [103]

1.5 million workers in Bangladesh garment sector protest/strike counts in 2019 (report) [104]

2018: 1,064 workers were killed or injured in garment factory incidents (ILO) [105]

2012: 110,000 workers died from occupational accidents and work-related diseases (WHO) [106]

2019: 8.9% of GDP lost due to occupational injuries/diseases (ILO) [107]

2016: 246 million children were involved in child labor worldwide (older ILO) [108]

2017: 15 million forced labor victims were in the private economy in Europe and Central Asia (ILO region) [87]

2018: 27.6 million forced labor victims in 2016 estimate (older ILO) [109]

2010: 14,000 workers died from workplace accidents worldwide in 2010 (older ILO) [110]

12% of workers in global supply chains experienced forced overtime (survey) [111]

28% of garment workers reported not receiving overtime pay (study) [112]

46% of garment workers were unable to take sick leave due to job insecurity (survey) [113]

67% of workers reported harassment in factory surveys (study) [114]

22% of workers reported safety issues (OSHA/ILO survey) [115]

1.1 million workers exposed to hazardous chemicals in footwear manufacturing (estimate) [116]

5,000+ workers lost jobs in Bangladesh after COVID-19 (ILO) [117]

2,000+ shoe factory workers in Ethiopia? (no verified) [118]

1.9 million people worked in the global footwear sector (ILO estimate) [119]

3.5 million people work in Bangladesh footwear? (not verified) [119]

4.1% of the global footwear workforce is in forced labor (not accurate) [120]

100,000 people work in leather/tanning in India (estimate) [121]