Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
The fashion industry produces 20% of global wastewater
Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned
Over 92 million tonnes of textile waste are created annually by the fashion industry
Less than 1% of used clothing is recycled into new garments
By 2030, it is estimated that fashion waste will increase by 60%
The average consumer buys 60% more clothing than 15 years ago, but keeps each item half as long
Americans throw away approximately 81 pounds of clothing per person each year
The apparel industry emits about 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases annually, more than international flights and maritime shipping combined
Only 15% of consumer-used clothing is recycled or donated
Fashion is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply
Producing one cotton shirt requires 2,700 liters of water
87% of the total fiber input used for clothing is ultimately incinerated or disposed of in a landfill
Corporate Responsibility and Initiatives
- Workers in the fashion industry earn as little as $2-3 per day in developing countries
- Nearly 100 companies signed the Fashion Pact to reduce fashion’s impact on the environment since 2019
Interpretation
While nearly 100 fashion giants have pledged to save the planet, they still haven’t figured out how to afford their garment workers more than the price of a latte per day.
Environmental Impact
- The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
- The fashion industry produces 20% of global wastewater
- The apparel industry emits about 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases annually, more than international flights and maritime shipping combined
- Up to 35% of microplastics in the ocean come from synthetic textiles
- Washing synthetic clothes releases an estimated 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean each year
- The fashion industry contributes to 20% of global industrial water pollution due to textile dyeing and treatment
- Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of water globally
- Polyester takes over 200 years to decompose in landfills
- Cotton farming is responsible for 24% of global insecticide use
- Around 90% of wastewater in developing countries is discharged untreated into rivers and streams, partly due to fashion manufacturing
- The leather tanning industry dumps vast amounts of toxic chromium into rivers, harming ecosystems
- Textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined
- One pair of jeans produces as much greenhouse gas as driving over 80 miles
- It can take up to 200 years for textiles to decompose in landfills
- A single T-shirt emits about 2.5 kg of CO2 during its lifecycle
- The fashion industry could be responsible for a quarter of the world’s carbon budget by 2050 if trends continue
- Secondhand clothing sales could reduce fashion's carbon footprint by over 30%
- Buying one used item reduces its carbon footprint by 82%
- A 10% reduction in production and consumption of clothing can save 3.6 million tonnes of CO2
- Utilizing circular fashion models could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 143 million tons by 2030
- Fast fashion makes up 2% of global GDP, yet contributes significantly to pollution
- 80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined at the design stage
- Clothing production is responsible for more emissions than all of the UK’s annual production
- It is estimated that fashion contributes to 4% of global emissions
- Apparel and footwear industries account for 8% of global emissions
- Clothing from synthetic fibers emits 2-3 times more carbon than natural fibers
- Fashion supply chains are responsible for 715 million tons of CO2 emissions annually
- Disposal of unsold fashion items emits approximately 15 million tons of CO2 annually
Interpretation
Fashion may dress us up, but behind the runway lies a carbon-choked, dye-drenched, microfiber-shedding behemoth that wastes water, poisons ecosystems, and could bankrupt the planet’s carbon budget faster than you can say “fast fashion.”
Production and Resource Use
- Fashion is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply
- Producing one cotton shirt requires 2,700 liters of water
- Global clothing production doubled between 2000 and 2014
- The use of polyester, a synthetic fiber, has increased nearly ninefold since 1975
- 60% of textiles used in clothing are made using fossil fuels
- The fashion industry uses 93 billion cubic meters of water annually
- Dyeing processes can use up to 200 tons of water per ton of dyed fabric
- China is the largest textile producer, accounting for over 50% of the world's fabric
- 1 in 6 people worldwide works in the global fashion supply chain
- Garment production doubled between 2000 and 2014, whereas garment usage dropped by 36%
- Nearly 40% of fashion-based emissions occur during raw material production
- It can take up to 3,000 liters of water to make one cotton shirt
- Over 20,000 liters of water are needed to produce 1 kg of cotton
- Using recycled polyester instead of virgin reduces energy consumption by 30–50%
Interpretation
Fast fashion may be cheap at checkout, but it racks up a colossal environmental overdraft—draining oceans of water, guzzling fossil fuels, and leaving humanity wearing the costs of a disposable style obsession.
Sales and Consumer Behavior
- The average consumer buys 60% more clothing than 15 years ago, but keeps each item half as long
- One in three young women considers garments worn once or twice to be old
- Clothing sales doubled from 100 to 200 billion units a year between 2000 and 2015
- Fast fashion brands release up to 52 micro-seasons per year
- The average garment is worn only 7-10 times before being discarded
- About 40% of purchased clothing is never worn
- Clothing consumption is projected to rise by 63% by 2030
- Roughly 30% of fashion items are never sold
Interpretation
In a world where fashion changes faster than Instagram filters, we’re buying more clothes than ever, wearing them less than ever, and throwing them out before they’ve had a chance to collect a single memory — turning our closets into landfills and our trends into trash.
Waste and Recycling
- Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned
- Over 92 million tonnes of textile waste are created annually by the fashion industry
- Less than 1% of used clothing is recycled into new garments
- By 2030, it is estimated that fashion waste will increase by 60%
- Americans throw away approximately 81 pounds of clothing per person each year
- Only 15% of consumer-used clothing is recycled or donated
- 87% of the total fiber input used for clothing is ultimately incinerated or disposed of in a landfill
- Approximately 85% of all textiles go to the dump each year
- 73% of clothing ends up in landfills or incinerated
- It is estimated that the global fashion industry produces 13 million tons of textile waste each year
- Each year, consumers throw away fashion products worth about $460 billion
- The average American discards 37kg of clothing each year
- Clothes recycling rates in the EU are only around 25%
- Globally, only 20% of clothing is collected for reuse or recycling
- Fashion accounts for 4% of the total global waste annually
- The fashion industry generates about 92 million tons of solid waste annually
- Textile waste occupies nearly 5% of all landfill space
- More than 500 billion dollars of value is lost due to clothing underutilization and lack of recycling
- The average person in the UK throws away 70 pounds of clothing annually
- The average European consumes nearly 26 kg of textiles per year and discards about 11 kg
- Only 7.5 million tonnes out of 92 million tonnes of textiles wasted are actually recycled
Interpretation
Fast fashion may change styles by the season, but its true legacy is a mountain of waste that’s always in vogue in our landfills.