Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The fashion industry produces approximately 100 billion garments each year, of which 92 million tonnes end up in landfills
Around 30% of clothes produced globally each year are never sold
Overproduction in the fashion industry amounts to 20% of all produced items being discarded before reaching consumers
The fashion industry accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions, partially due to overproduction
Nearly 60% of all clothing produced ends up being burned or in landfills within a year of production
Fast fashion brands produce about 52 micro-seasons per year, encouraging overproduction and overconsumption
The average American throws away approximately 81 pounds of clothing annually, largely due to overproduction making clothing disposable
Textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined
Up to 87% of fiber input used for clothing is ultimately incinerated or disposed of in landfill
One garbage truck full of textiles is landfilled or incinerated every second
Brands destroy an estimated $500 million to $1 billion worth of unsold inventory every year to maintain brand exclusivity
35% of materials in the fashion supply chain end up as waste before reaching the consumer
Only 1% of apparel is actually recycled into new clothing, rest is discarded
Consumer Behavior and Utilization
- Fast fashion brands produce about 52 micro-seasons per year, encouraging overproduction and overconsumption
- The average consumer buys 60% more clothes than 15 years ago but keeps them half as long
- One in every two people throw away clothes rather than recycle or donate
- The average clothing utilization globally has decreased by 36% in 15 years
Interpretation
In a world where fashion changes weekly and wardrobes turn over faster than phone upgrades, our closets have become landfills' best suppliers—stylish, but unsustainable.
Environmental Impact
- The fashion industry accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions, partially due to overproduction
- Textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined
- The fashion industry generates 20% of the world's wastewater, in part due to unnecessary overproduction
- Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water globally, contributing to waste from overproduction
- Globally, fashion production uses 93 billion cubic meters of water annually, partly for garments that go unsold
- Each year, about 26 billion pounds of textiles are sent to US landfills
- It takes 2,700 liters of water to produce one cotton shirt—often overproduced and discarded
Interpretation
In a world where fashion aims to make a statement, its overproduction whispers waste, shouts pollution, and ultimately leaves the planet overdressed and underprotected.
Industry Practices and Economic Losses
- Brands destroy an estimated $500 million to $1 billion worth of unsold inventory every year to maintain brand exclusivity
- $500 billion is lost each year due to clothing underutilization and lack of recycling
- About 20% of fashion production costs are tied up in unsold goods
- Zara can design and distribute a new product to stores within two weeks, enabling rapid overproduction cycles
Interpretation
In a world where fashion moves faster than judgment, the industry torches billions in unsold clothes to protect image, proving that style often comes at the cost of both sanity and sustainability.
Overproduction and Waste
- The fashion industry produces approximately 100 billion garments each year, of which 92 million tonnes end up in landfills
- Around 30% of clothes produced globally each year are never sold
- Overproduction in the fashion industry amounts to 20% of all produced items being discarded before reaching consumers
- Nearly 60% of all clothing produced ends up being burned or in landfills within a year of production
- The average American throws away approximately 81 pounds of clothing annually, largely due to overproduction making clothing disposable
- Up to 87% of fiber input used for clothing is ultimately incinerated or disposed of in landfill
- One garbage truck full of textiles is landfilled or incinerated every second
- 35% of materials in the fashion supply chain end up as waste before reaching the consumer
- Garment production doubled between 2000 and 2014 while garment use lifespan fell by 40%
- Approximately 15 million garments arrive weekly in Ghana’s secondhand markets, many largely due to global fashion overproduction
- Around 85% of all textiles go to the dump each year
- In the UK alone, an estimated 350,000 tonnes of clothing ends up in landfills each year
- Unsold fashion goods in Europe contribute to extensive textile destruction practices, prompting potential bans on incineration
- Between 30–40% of all clothing in the EU ends up being destroyed or landfilled due to excess inventory
- Over 70% of global clothing donations end up in Africa, many of which are actually waste from overproduction
- Between 2000 and 2015, global apparel production doubled, while the average garment usage decreased
- The global fashion industry produces 13 million tons of textile waste annually, mostly due to overproduction
- H&M reportedly had $4.3 billion worth of unsold clothes as of 2018 due to overproduction
- In France, it has become illegal for companies to destroy unsold clothing as of 2019, thanks to overproduction concerns
Interpretation
The fashion industry is churning out clothes faster than consumers can wear—or even want—them, turning runways into landfills in a global game of dress-up that ends in waste, not style.
Recycling and Circular Economy
- Only 1% of apparel is actually recycled into new clothing, rest is discarded
Interpretation
In a world where fashion changes by the season, 99% of our clothing ends up as yesterday’s trend and tomorrow’s trash—a stylish catastrophe with nowhere to wear.