Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined
The fashion industry uses around 93 billion cubic meters of water annually, enough to meet the consumption needs of five million people
Approximately 20% of global wastewater is generated by the fashion industry
85% of all textiles go to the dump each year
Washing clothes releases 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean each year — the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles
The fashion industry produces 92 million tonnes of waste annually
Polyester, the most commonly used fiber, produces 2 to 3 times more carbon emissions than cotton
If the fashion sector continues on its current path, its greenhouse gas emissions could surge more than 50% by 2030
One garbage truck full of clothes is burned or sent to landfill every second
The average consumer buys 60% more clothing than 15 years ago, but keeps each item half as long
Producing a single cotton shirt requires 2,700 liters of water — the same amount a person drinks in 2.5 years
The fashion industry contributes about 35% of microplastic pollution in oceans
60% of clothing is made of synthetic fibers derived from fossil fuels
Environmental Impact
- The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined
- Polyester, the most commonly used fiber, produces 2 to 3 times more carbon emissions than cotton
- If the fashion sector continues on its current path, its greenhouse gas emissions could surge more than 50% by 2030
- The fashion industry emits about 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year
- Textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined
- Clothing use has globally declined by 40% since the early 2000s
- The production of synthetic fibers releases nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas 300 times more damaging than CO2
- Buying one white cotton shirt emits roughly the same amount of emissions as driving 35 miles in a car
- Cotton farming is responsible for 24% of insecticide use and 11% of pesticide use globally
- The annual carbon footprint of the fashion industry is larger than that of France, Germany, and the UK combined
- The fashion industry could use up to 26% of the world’s carbon budget by 2050 if trends continue
- Clothing rental and resale could reduce fashion’s carbon footprint by 44%
- More than 80% of fashion's carbon footprint comes from production and supply chains, not consumption
- A polyester shirt has 5.5 kg CO2e | cotton shirt has 2.1 kg CO2e during production
- Garments made of recycled textiles can reduce emissions by up to 25%
- If fast fashion were a country, it would be the world’s 7th-largest emitter of CO2
Interpretation
If fast fashion were a country, it would be a globe-trotting, polyester-wrapped superpolluter ranking seventh in carbon emissions—proof that looking good shouldn't cost the Earth.
Labor and Human Rights
- Fashion workers often work in toxic conditions that harm their health, especially in dye houses
- 20% of clothing production workers suffer from skin and respiratory diseases due to fabric chemicals
Interpretation
Behind the bright colors of fast fashion lies a grim reality—where one in five clothing workers pays for our style with their skin and lungs.
Resource Consumption
- 60% of clothing is made of synthetic fibers derived from fossil fuels
- Renewable electricity makes up less than 10% of the fashion industry’s energy supply
- Between 2000 and 2014, clothing production doubled while utilization (wear per garment) dropped by 36%
- Fast fashion consumption is expected to grow by 63% by 2030
- Over 70 million trees are cut down each year to make clothes
- Each year, 150 billion garments are produced for a global population of 8 billion people
- The global fashion industry produces about 53 million tonnes of clothes annually
- The fashion industry consumes more energy than the aviation and shipping industry combined
- Circular fashion could save the industry $560 billion annually in new material costs
- Over 120 million trees are logged annually for viscose fabric
Interpretation
In a world where 150 billion garments are made for just 8 billion people—most spun from fossil fuels, deforested dreams, and a throwaway mindset—the fashion industry is dressing us for planetary disaster faster than we can say "fast fashion."
Waste and Pollution
- Approximately 20% of global wastewater is generated by the fashion industry
- 85% of all textiles go to the dump each year
- Washing clothes releases 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean each year — the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles
- The fashion industry produces 92 million tonnes of waste annually
- One garbage truck full of clothes is burned or sent to landfill every second
- The average consumer buys 60% more clothing than 15 years ago, but keeps each item half as long
- The fashion industry contributes about 35% of microplastic pollution in oceans
- Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water globally
- 87% of the total fiber input used for clothing is incinerated or disposed of in a landfill
- In the U.S. alone, 11.3 million tons of textile waste end up in landfills each year
- Only 1% of clothing is recycled into new clothes
- Consumers wear garments on average only 7–10 times before discarding them
- Around 60% of discarded clothing ends up in landfills or incinerators within a year of production
- Fashion accounts for 20 to 35 percent of microplastics in the marine environment
- The average American throws away approximately 81 pounds of clothes annually
- Clothes take up nearly 5% of landfill space worldwide
- A single load of laundry can release up to 700,000 microplastic fibers
- In Bangladesh, textile factories release 22,000 liters of toxic waste water daily
- 3 out of 5 fast fashion items end up in landfill within a year
- 40% of clothing purchased in some countries is never worn
- Fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world, after oil
- Just 14% of clothes are collected for reuse or recycling
- Synthetic clothing materials take up to 200 years to decompose
- About 60% of garments are discarded within a year of production
- China dyes about 50% of global textiles, contributing significantly to water pollution
- Only 20% of textiles end up being reused or recycled globally
- More than 8,000 synthetic chemicals are used in the dyeing and finishing processes of garments
- Garment factories contribute to more than 10% of industrial discharge into rivers in developing nations
- Leather tanning uses heavy metals and chemicals that often end up in waterways
- Closed-loop recycling in fashion accounts for less than 1% of fiber-to-fiber recycling
- Each year, over 70 billion liters of wastewater are produced from textile dyeing
- Textile waste is projected to rise to 134 million tons a year by 2030
- Some clothing contains PFAS — “forever” chemicals that persist in the environment indefinitely
Interpretation
Fashion may be the statement we wear, but its environmental footprint screams louder — flooding waters with dye, oceans with plastic, and landfills with last season’s regret.
Water Usage
- The fashion industry uses around 93 billion cubic meters of water annually, enough to meet the consumption needs of five million people
- Producing a single cotton shirt requires 2,700 liters of water — the same amount a person drinks in 2.5 years
- Around 700 gallons of water are used to produce one cotton shirt
- The dyeing process of textiles uses enough water annually to fill 2 million Olympic-size swimming pools
- It takes about 2,000 gallons of water to make a pair of jeans
- Cotton cultivation uses over 250 billion tons of water annually worldwide
- Reusing secondhand garments can reduce water use in the fashion sector by over 90%
- Switching to organic cotton could reduce water consumption by 91%
- Linen and hemp require 70% less water than cotton to grow
Interpretation
Fashion may be about making a splash, but with billions of gallons wasted on shirts and jeans, it’s time we dressed our wardrobes—and our planet—a little more responsibly.