Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
The equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill every second
87% of the total fiber input used for clothing is eventually incinerated or sent to a landfill
Less than 1% of clothes are recycled into new clothes
Fashion production contributes to 20% of global wastewater
The average American throws away approximately 81 pounds of clothing every year
92 million tonnes of textile waste are produced each year
35% of all microplastics in the ocean come from the laundering of synthetic textiles
Fast fashion brands launch up to 52 “micro-seasons” of clothing per year
Clothing production has roughly doubled since 2000
The average garment is worn only 7 to 10 times before being discarded
57% of discarded clothing ends up in landfills
20% of clothing in Americans’ wardrobes is never worn
Consumer Behavior
- Fast fashion brands launch up to 52 “micro-seasons” of clothing per year
- The average garment is worn only 7 to 10 times before being discarded
- 20% of clothing in Americans’ wardrobes is never worn
- Around 30% of clothes in European wardrobes have not been worn in at least a year
- The average consumer buys 60% more clothing than 15 years ago but keeps them for half as long
- The average time a garment is kept before disposal is just 3 years
- More than half of fast fashion items are discarded in under a year
- Up to 40% of purchased clothes in some developed countries are never worn
- Clothing consumption is expected to rise by 63% by 2030
- Only 16% of consumers globally say they buy garments made from recycled fabrics
Interpretation
In a world where closets are bursting and conscience is threadbare, fast fashion has us wearing each item just enough to forget it—but not enough to forgive it.
Environmental Impact
- The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
- Fashion production contributes to 20% of global wastewater
- 35% of all microplastics in the ocean come from the laundering of synthetic textiles
- Polyester is used in about 60% of garments but takes 200 years to decompose
- Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water globally
- If the fashion industry continues on its current path, its greenhouse gas emissions will surge by 50% by 2030
- China is the largest producer of fast fashion clothing, contributing significantly to global textile waste
- Fashion accounts for more carbon emissions than international flights and maritime shipping combined
- Over 3.3 billion tons of CO₂ equivalent are emitted by the fashion industry each year
- Clothing rental services currently prolong garment life by 2x compared to single use
- The production of synthetic textiles emits 706 billion kg of greenhouse gases every year
- 90% of cotton grown for textiles is genetically modified, impacting biodiversity
- 20% more greenhouse gas emissions are generated per item by ultra-fast fashion compared to regular fast fashion
- Synthetic fabrics make up 62% of textiles used in apparel, contributing to microplastic pollution
- The fashion industry could consume a quarter of the world’s carbon budget by 2050 if no action is taken
- Textile treatment and dyeing are estimated to contribute to 17-20% of global industrial water pollution
- Fashion generates 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions
Interpretation
Fashion may be about making statements, but with 4% of global emissions, toxic dye dumping, oceans full of microplastics, and polyester that outlives us all, the industry’s current runway leads straight to climate catastrophe—unless we stitch sustainability into every seam.
Resource Consumption
- Clothing production has roughly doubled since 2000
- One cotton shirt requires 2,700 liters of water to produce
- The fashion industry produces about 100 billion garments annually
- 25% of global chemicals are used for textile production
- The fashion industry uses about 93 billion cubic meters of water annually
- An estimated 53 million tonnes of fiber are produced by the fashion industry annually
- In 2021, 64% of global textile production was synthetic, predominantly polyester
- Worldwide clothing production doubled from 2000 to 2014
- 62 million tonnes of apparel were consumed globally in 2019, expecting to double by 2030
- About 1.5 trillion liters of water are used by the fashion industry every year
- Australians are among the highest consumers of textiles per capita in the world
Interpretation
Fast fashion may keep us stylish by the second, but it's guzzling water, spewing chemicals, and multiplying waste at a pace that would give even the most trend-conscious planet a meltdown.
Social and Economic Factors
- Only 2% of workers in the fashion supply chain earn a living wage
- About 60 million people are employed by the global textile and fashion industry, most in low-wage countries
Interpretation
In a global industry stitching together $1.5 trillion in profits, it's a cruel irony that only 2% of its 60 million workers can afford the clothes they help create.
Waste and Recycling
- The equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill every second
- 87% of the total fiber input used for clothing is eventually incinerated or sent to a landfill
- Less than 1% of clothes are recycled into new clothes
- The average American throws away approximately 81 pounds of clothing every year
- 92 million tonnes of textile waste are produced each year
- 57% of discarded clothing ends up in landfills
- In the UK alone, 350,000 tonnes of used clothing goes to landfill every year
- Up to 95% of textiles that are landfilled each year could be recycled
- One in two people throw unwanted clothes straight in the trash
- 85% of textiles go to the dump each year
- Textile waste is expected to increase by 60% between 2015 and 2030
- Less than 15% of unwanted clothing in the U.S. is recycled
- Around 90% of clothing donations don’t end up being resold in stores
- Secondhand clothing shipments to Africa often end up in landfills due to low quality
- The average European uses nearly 26 kg of textiles annually and discards about 11 kg
- One landfill in Ghana receives 15 million garments every week from the Global North
- Only 12% of clothing material is used for recycling into other products like insulation or cleaning cloths
- Over $500 billion is lost every year due to underutilization and lack of recycling in clothing
- 84% of discarded clothes in the U.S. end up in either a landfill or an incinerator
- India produces about 1 million tonnes of textile waste annually
- In Australia, 6000 kg of textile waste is dumped in landfill every 10 minutes
- 34.8 billion garments were made in China alone in 2022, many contributing to landfill
- Only 0.1% of collected clothing is remade into new garments
- Up to 20% of fabric is wasted during clothing production
- Kenya imports about 185,000 tonnes of second-hand clothing annually, a significant portion ending in waste
- Americans generate 17 million tons of textile waste annually
- Apparel is the second largest category of consumer goods in U.S. landfills
- Online returns add an estimated 5 billion pounds of waste annually in the U.S.
- 95% of garments discarded prematurely could be reused or recycled
- Textiles have one of the lowest recycling rates of any reusable material
- Sweden burns about half of its textile waste for energy recovery
- Nearly 70% of clothes shipped to developing nations from donations go unused and are discarded
- Only 1 in 10 garments donated to charity shops are sold in-store
Interpretation
In a world where hems unravel and trends expire faster than tweets, our closets have become landfills-in-waiting—reminding us that fashion’s real faux pas isn’t last season’s look, but the 92 million tonnes of waste we stitch into the planet each year.