Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The fashion industry produces approximately 92 million tons of textile waste annually
Up to 85% of textiles go into landfills each year, including unsold clothing
The equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill every second
Only 1% of clothing is recycled into new garments globally
Americans throw away approximately 70 pounds of clothing per person each year
The United States generates 17 million tons of textile waste annually
Only 15% of consumer-used clothing is recycled in the U.S.
In the UK, around 336,000 tonnes of clothing are disposed of in household rubbish annually
Fashion is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions annually, much of which comes from production and waste
Over 60% of clothing material is synthetic, which can take up to 200 years to decompose
The average lifetime of a garment is only 3 years
73% of the world's clothing ends up in landfills or is incinerated
The fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of water globally
Consumer Behavior
- The average lifetime of a garment is only 3 years
- The average American buys 68 garments per year
- One in three young women consider garments worn once or twice to be old
- Approximately 30% of clothes in wardrobes across Europe haven’t been worn in at least a year
- The average consumer throws away 60% of their clothes in the first year
- Clothing resale is projected to be twice the size of fast fashion by 2030
- The average UK shopper purchases 26.7 kg of clothing annually
- Globally, people are buying 60% more clothes than they did 15 years ago, but keeping them for half as long
- Consumers keep clothing items about half as long as they did 15 years ago
- The average garment is worn only 7 to 10 times before disposal
Interpretation
In a world where clothes are treated more like disposable coffee cups than long-term companions, our closets are bursting with barely-worn trends while the planet drowns in yesterday’s impulse buys.
Environmental Impact
- Fashion is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions annually, much of which comes from production and waste
- Over 60% of clothing material is synthetic, which can take up to 200 years to decompose
- The fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of water globally
- Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water globally
- If nothing changes, total clothing sales could rise from 62 million tons in 2017 to 102 million tons in 2030
- Fast fashion contributes to roughly 20% of global wastewater
- Polyester, the most commonly used fiber, emits nearly 3 times more carbon dioxide than cotton
- The fashion industry creates 20% of global microplastic pollution in the ocean
- One kilogram of textile waste from synthetic fabrics generates up to 3.6 kg CO2-equivalent emissions in landfills
- 79 billion cubic meters of water used by the fashion industry per year
- Each year 500,000 tons of microfibers are released into the ocean from washing clothes
- Textile dyeing causes about 20% of the global industrial water pollution
- Over 500 billion gallons of fresh water are used in dyeing textiles each year
- 700,000 microfibers are released in a single domestic wash
- Cotton farming accounts for 24% of global insecticide use, partly to meet fashion demand
- One pair of jeans requires 2,000 gallons of water to manufacture
- Clothing production emits 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases each year—more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined
- Manufacturing a single t-shirt requires 2,700 liters of water
Interpretation
In a world where a T-shirt drinks more water than you do in three years and jeans leave a bigger carbon footprint than your vacation, fashion is dressing us up while stripping the planet down.
Recycling and Circularity
- Only 1% of clothing is recycled into new garments globally
- Only 15% of consumer-used clothing is recycled in the U.S.
- More than $500 billion of value is lost every year due to clothing underutilization and lack of recycling
- Only 20% of discarded textiles are collected for reuse or recycling globally
- Less than 1% of used clothing is recycled back into clothing
- Around 12% of global clothing donations are actually resold in thrift stores
- Globally, only 12% of clothing material is recycled
- Many garments are made from blended materials that cannot be mechanically recycled
- 95% of textiles that are landfilled could be recycled
Interpretation
Despite our closets overflowing, we seem hellbent on treating fashion like fast food—cheap, disposable, and destined for the landfill, even though 95% of it could have had a second life.
Supply Chain and Production Practices
- Clothing production has doubled in the last 15 years
- Up to 93% of brands surveyed do not track where their waste ends up
Interpretation
Fast fashion’s runaway growth has doubled clothing output in 15 years, yet with up to 93% of brands turning a blind eye to their waste, it’s less supply chain and more vanishing act.
Waste and Landfill Accumulation
- The fashion industry produces approximately 92 million tons of textile waste annually
- Up to 85% of textiles go into landfills each year, including unsold clothing
- The equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill every second
- Americans throw away approximately 70 pounds of clothing per person each year
- The United States generates 17 million tons of textile waste annually
- In the UK, around 336,000 tonnes of clothing are disposed of in household rubbish annually
- 73% of the world's clothing ends up in landfills or is incinerated
- Textile waste has increased by 811% in the USA since 1960
- Up to 25% of returns are destroyed or sent to landfills
- In Australia, over 500 million kg of textiles end up in landfill each year
- Around 13 million tons of textile waste is generated each year in the US alone
- Returns from online shopping contribute around 5 billion pounds to landfill waste annually
- Over 8 million tons of waste are created annually from clothing which is either incinerated or sent to landfills in Europe
- H&M burned 60 tons of unsold clothes in one year
- Japan’s consumers throw away 520,000 tons of clothes annually
- In Ghana, about 40% of imported secondhand clothing ends up as waste
- Landfills globally receive around 92 million tons of textile waste per year
- Used clothing accounts for 5-10% of landfill capacity in many countries
- 1 in 2 people throw their unwanted clothes straight in the trash
- An estimated 50% of clothes we donate end up in landfills anyway
- 1 truckload of clothing is landfilled every second globally
- Ghana imports 15 million garments weekly, most of which go to landfill within days
- Around 80% of discarded textiles are sent to landfills or incinerated
- Every year, 13 million tons of textiles are landfilled in the USA alone
- 85% of donated clothing ends up in landfills or incinerators globally
- China's textile waste reached 26 million tons in 2017
- In the US, clothing waste has grown by almost 40% in the past 20 years
- India generates 1 million tons of textile waste per year
- Discarded clothing is the largest category in US landfills by weight
- In Canada, 500 million kg of textiles end up in landfills yearly
- Germany generates over 391,752 tons of textile waste yearly
- 26 billion pounds of textile waste annually is generated globally
- More than three-fifths of all clothing ends up in landfills or incinerators within a year of being produced
- The average family in the western world throws away 66 pounds of clothing per year
Interpretation
Fashion may change by the season, but its waste is forever — with a garbage truck of clothing dumped every second, our wardrobes are dressing landfills faster than they're dressing people.