Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The fashion industry is responsible for 92 million tons of textile waste annually
Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned
Less than 1% of used clothing is recycled into new garments
The average American throws away around 81 pounds of clothes each year
Textile waste in the European Union reached 5.8 million tonnes annually
Textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined
The global use of polyester has increased nine times in the last 50 years
Producing one kilogram of textiles generates 17 kilograms of CO2 emissions
Over 100 billion garments are produced globally each year
Around 87% of the total fiber input used for clothing is incinerated or disposed of in a landfill
Consumers wear clothes 36% less often than they did 15 years ago
The average life cycle of fast fashion clothing is just 7-10 wears
The fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of water globally
Consumption and Overproduction
- The global use of polyester has increased nine times in the last 50 years
- Over 100 billion garments are produced globally each year
- Consumers wear clothes 36% less often than they did 15 years ago
- The average life cycle of fast fashion clothing is just 7-10 wears
- Clothing production has doubled since 2000
- It is estimated the average garment is worn just seven times before disposal
- The average consumer buys 60% more clothes today than 15 years ago
- On average, people keep their clothes only half as long as they did 15 years ago
- Fast fashion brands release new collections every two weeks, contributing to waste
- Secondhand clothing imports into Africa have increased fivefold over the past 25 years
Interpretation
In a world where polyester reigns and fast fashion churns out more clothes than we wear, our closets have become landfills-in-waiting—stuffed with garments worn a handful of times, treated as disposable trends, and offloaded globally in a cycle as unsustainable as it is stylish.
Environmental Impact
- Textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined
- Producing one kilogram of textiles generates 17 kilograms of CO2 emissions
- The fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of water globally
- A single cotton shirt uses 2,700 liters of water to produce
- Fashion accounts for up to 10% of global carbon emissions
- Synthetic fibers like polyester can take up to 200 years to decompose
- The fashion industry consumes around 93 billion cubic meters of water annually
- The dyeing and finishing processes in textiles contribute 20% of global industrial water pollution
- 70% of textiles globally are made from synthetic fibers derived from fossil fuels
- The carbon footprint of clothing is around 3.3 billion tons of CO2 equivalent annually
- In 2015, it was estimated that the global fashion industry used 79 billion cubic meters of water
- About 35% of all microplastics in the ocean come from synthetic textiles
- Over 2,000 chemicals are used in textile processing, just 16% of which are approved by the EPA
- A single load of laundry can release 700,000 microplastic fibers
- The fashion industry emits about 1.2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent each year
- Textile treatment and dyeing contribute to 17-20% of industrial water pollution
- Clothing made from recycled fibers uses 90% less water than virgin materials
Interpretation
In chasing fast fashion, we’ve tailored an industry that dresses us up in style while stripping the planet bare—stitched together with carbon, soaked in water waste, and threaded with microplastic guilt.
Labor and Social Issues
- The average garment worker earns less than $3 a day, contributing to the true cost of waste
- Textile workers are exposed to up to 3,500 chemicals, many of which are hazardous
Interpretation
Beneath fast fashion's flashy facade lies a sobering truth: while consumers chase $5 tees, garment workers earn less than $3 a day and risk their health among 3,500 chemicals, making waste the industry's least toxic crime.
Recycling and Circular Economy
- Less than 1% of used clothing is recycled into new garments
- Only 20% of discarded textiles are collected for reuse or recycling globally
- The recycling rate for textiles in the U.S. is only 13%
- The EU’s circular economy action plan aims to make textiles more durable and recyclable by 2030
- In India, only about 25% of the textile waste generated is recycled
- The average cost to recycle fiber blends can be 10 times more than producing virgin fibers
- More than $500 billion is lost every year due to clothing underutilization and lack of recycling
- Up to 95% of textiles that are landfilled each year could be recycled
- Clothing resale market is expected to double to $77 billion by 2025, championing waste reduction
- Recycling one ton of textiles saves 20 tons of CO2 emissions
- Investments in circular fashion could generate $560 billion in economic benefit globally
- Globally, just 12% of material used in clothes is recycled
Interpretation
In a world where we toss nearly all our threads but could recycle 95% of them, the fashion industry is dressing itself in denial—hemmed in by waste, stitched with lost billions, and in desperate need of a circular makeover before its seams completely unravel.
Textile Waste and Disposal
- The fashion industry is responsible for 92 million tons of textile waste annually
- Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned
- The average American throws away around 81 pounds of clothes each year
- Textile waste in the European Union reached 5.8 million tonnes annually
- Around 87% of the total fiber input used for clothing is incinerated or disposed of in a landfill
- In Australia, 85% of textiles go to landfill each year
- In the UK, 300,000 tonnes of clothing are sent to landfills annually
- Textile waste in China surpassed 20 million tonnes in 2020
- Developing countries often bear the brunt of second-hand clothing waste, with 40% ending up as waste in Ghana
- It costs New York City over $20 million a year to ship textile waste to landfills and incinerators
- Approximately 15% of fabric intended for clothing ends up on the cutting room floor
- Textile waste is expected to skyrocket to 134 million tons a year by 2030
- Nearly 60% of clothing ends up in incinerators or landfills within a year of being made
- One in two people throw clothes away instead of recycling or donating them
- 84% of donated clothes in the U.S. end up in landfills or incinerators
- Thousands of tons of used clothing are dumped in the Chilean desert annually
- Around 40 million tons of textile waste is burned yearly, releasing harmful chemicals
- 15 million items of used clothing arrive in Accra, Ghana every week, with over 40% ending in landfills
- The global fashion industry's waste crisis is accelerating, with a projected 57% increase in waste by 2030
Interpretation
The fashion industry’s dirty little secret isn’t just outdated trends—it’s a mountain of textile trash growing so fast it makes fast fashion look slow.