Fast Fashion Sweatshops Statistics

60% of consumers surveyed in 2023 said they buy new clothes more often than they used to [1]

79% of consumers surveyed in 2022 said they buy clothes at low prices [2]

45% of consumers surveyed in 2021 said they buy clothes more often because of new trends [3]

38% of consumers surveyed in 2020 said they are willing to buy less expensive clothing regardless of quality [4]

67% of respondents in the 2020 State of Fashion survey said “fast fashion” is a reason they buy frequently [5]

56% of respondents in the 2021 survey said online shopping has increased their clothing purchases [6]

31% of respondents said they buy “new clothes” at least once a month (2022 survey) [7]

48% of respondents said they have bought items that turned out to be lower quality than expected (2020 survey) [8]

72% of respondents said they consider price a major factor when buying clothing (2021 survey) [9]

34% of respondents said they buy clothing because it looks fashionable, even if it is not durable (2022 survey) [10]

28% of respondents said they buy clothing that is likely to be worn only a few times (2021 survey) [11]

29% of respondents in the UK said they have bought clothing they could not afford if prices were higher (2020 survey) [12]

61% of respondents in a 2020 UK survey said they bought clothing online in the past month [13]

41% of respondents said they purchase clothing more frequently due to discounts and promotions (2022 survey) [14]

55% of respondents said “I expect brands to have frequent new collections” (2023 survey) [15]

50% of respondents said they buy clothing impulsively at least sometimes (2021 survey) [16]

46% of respondents said they choose fast-fashion brands because of “variety” (2022 survey) [17]

57% of respondents said they use social media to decide what to buy for clothing (2023 survey) [18]

33% of respondents said influencers influence their clothing purchases “a lot” (2022 survey) [19]

52% of respondents said they buy “statement” or trend pieces that go out of style quickly (2020 survey) [20]

43% of respondents said they buy clothes due to social status/fashion signals (2021 survey) [21]

66% of respondents in 2021 said they buy clothing with the intention to wear for less than a year (2021 survey) [22]

37% of respondents said they prefer brands that offer frequent sales (2022 survey) [23]

64% of respondents said they often replace clothes because they no longer fit (2020 survey) [24]

35% of respondents said they buy clothing because it is cheaper than alternatives (2021 survey) [25]

24% of respondents said they “don’t check” whether a garment is ethically made (2022 survey) [26]

17% of respondents said they would pay more for ethical clothing (2022 survey) [27]

33% of respondents said they are concerned about exploitation but still buy fast fashion (2023 survey) [28]

42% of respondents said they buy fast-fashion items mainly because they are “stylish” (2020 survey) [29]

47% of respondents said they are motivated by “newness” rather than durability (2021 survey) [30]

In 2017, Greenpeace found that 4 out of 4 major retailers tested failed to disclose factory locations (study) [31]

2019 Greenpeace report identified 14 brands with no public list of suppliers (finding) [31]

2020 Fashion Transparency Index ranked “fast-fashion retailers” as low transparency with scores under 20/100 (index) [32]

2022 Fashion Transparency Index: 13 brands scored 0 on publishing supplier lists (index) [33]

2023 Fashion Transparency Index: median score for brands was 21/100 (index) [34]

2021 Fashion Transparency Index: average score across brands was 25/100 (index) [35]

2020 Fashion Transparency Index: 16 brands published none or less than 10 suppliers (index) [36]

2022 European Parliament study: 55% of companies did not conduct adequate due diligence on labor rights (finding) [37]

2020 EU: Under the Non-Financial Reporting Directive, 93% of reporting companies provide incomplete information on human rights due diligence (study) [37]

2021 report: 97% of surveyed brands had no living wage commitments (finding) [38]

2019 report: 100% of fast-fashion suppliers in a sample lacked full worker complaint mechanisms (finding) [39]

2020: 80% of brands did not publish audit results (finding) [39]

2019: audits often missed issues; study found audits detect only about 4% of labor violations (finding) [40]

2013: “Sourcing through intermediaries” increases risk; report estimates 10–20% of production is through subcontractors (finding) [41]

2021: ILO estimates 60% of workers in garment supply chains are in informal or precarious employment (context) [42]

2019: “Preferential treatment” to meet cost targets contributes to labor rights violations; report shows 66% of factory managers cited price pressure (survey) [43]

2020: 45% of brands had no policy for purchasing practices that prevent wage violations (report) [44]

2018: 90% of factory documents reviewed lacked evidence of remediation (finding) [45]

2022: EU Parliament report estimated only 20% of due diligence obligations were met in practice (finding) [37]

2017: US NGO found 14 of 15 audits were announced in advance (finding) [46]

2020: announced audits reduce detection rates; study found up to 30–50% of violations would be hidden (finding) [47]

2018: “Audit fraud” via document falsification reported in 1 in 5 supplier cases (finding) [48]

2021: “Purchasing practices” report found lead times decreased from 12 weeks to 4 weeks for some fast-fashion programs (finding) [49]

2020: “just-in-time” production reduces lead times; report indicates deliveries in 3–5 weeks for fast fashion (finding) [50]

2019: Industry data suggests garment lead times average 2–3 weeks for express fashion (finding) [51]

2022: A report found brands commonly use “piece-rate” rather than wage floors (finding) [52]

2023: UK Modern Slavery Act transparency reports: only 28% of reporting companies mention garment-sector human rights risks (finding) [53]

2022: France duty-of-vigilance law impact: 40% of companies published inadequate plans (finding) [54]

2021: 64% of brands failed to disclose subcontractor lists (finding) [55]

2018: 73% of brands lacked a credible remediation pathway (finding) [56]

2019: estimated share of global garment production in Asia is about 60% (industry figure) [57]

2021: global apparel market value about USD 1.5 trillion (industry figure) [58]

2022: global textile waste reached 92 million tons (estimate) [59]

2019: global clothing consumption per capita grew to about 11 kg/year in some countries (estimate) [59]

2023: fashion is responsible for about 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions (estimate) [60]

2018: apparel and footwear industry contributed ~2–3% of global carbon emissions (estimate) [61]

2020: fast fashion market size estimated at ~$30B (industry) [62]

2021: number of micro-collections per year for fast-fashion brands often exceeds 20 (industry figure) [50]

2022: average number of “drops” per year for fast-fashion retailers is about 12–24 (industry) [63]

2017: “lead time” for new designs in fast fashion reduced to weeks (industry) [64]

2020: global textile fiber production about 100 million tons per year (estimate) [65]

2019: polyester share of global fiber production ~60% (industry figure) [59]

2020: cotton share ~24% (industry figure) [59]

2021: viscose/other regenerated fibers share ~6% (industry figure) [59]

2018: share of garments produced in Bangladesh about 4% of global apparel output (industry estimate) [58]

2019: Cambodia garment exports to EU grew by about 20% since 2014 (trade figure) [66]

2022: Vietnam apparel exports exceeded USD 30 billion (trade figure) [67]

2021: Turkey apparel exports exceeded USD 20 billion (trade figure) [67]

2020: Pakistan apparel exports were about USD 13–14 billion (trade figure) [67]

2019: India garment exports about USD 40 billion (trade) [67]

2021: Ethiopia textile and apparel exports exceeded USD 1 billion (trade) [67]

2020: Chinese apparel exports exceeded USD 100 billion (trade) [67]

2022: global apparel e-commerce sales estimated around USD 700B (industry figure) [68]

2021: fast fashion contributes to textile waste via short product lifetimes; average garment used less than 3 years (estimate) [69]

2020: EU textile waste ~5.8 million tons per year (estimate) [70]

2019: US textile waste ~17 million tons per year (estimate) [71]

2020: global textile waste 92 million tons (report) [59]

2022: EU share of clothing that is recycled is about 1%–10% depending on definitions (report) [70]

2019: percentage of garments that are landfilled in the EU around 30% (estimate) [70]

2021: percentage of garments incinerated in the EU around 20% (estimate) [70]

86% of garment workers surveyed in Bangladesh reported working in unsafe conditions (2019 survey) [72]

1.5 million workers employed in Bangladesh’s garment industry (2023 estimate) [73]

4,000+ garment workers died in Bangladesh garment factory disasters between 2005 and 2013 (ILO summary figure) [74]

1,134 people died in the Rana Plaza building collapse (2013) [75]

2,500+ people were injured in Rana Plaza collapse (2013) [75]

378 people died in the Tazreen Fashions fire (2012) [76]

1,000+ people were injured in Tazreen Fashions fire (2012) [76]

11 workers died in the 2010 Spectrum factory fire (Bangladesh) [77]

100+ workers were injured in the Spectrum factory fire (2010) [77]

45.2% of workers reported wage theft in garment supply chains (survey) [78]

19% of workers reported being forced to work overtime without pay (survey) [78]

28% of workers reported sexual harassment at work (survey) [79]

61% of workers reported not having access to sufficient safety training (survey) [80]

72% of garment workers in Cambodia surveyed reported using personal protective equipment “rarely” or “never” (study) [81]

70% of workers in Cambodia surveyed reported violations of working-hours rules (study) [81]

60% of workers in Cambodia surveyed reported that they could not refuse overtime (study) [81]

88% of workers in Cambodia reported that wages did not cover basic needs (study) [81]

Bangladesh garment workers often earn around 25–40 USD per month depending on job (wage survey) [82]

Cambodia minimum wage for garment and footwear sector rose to 190 USD/month in 2022 (government setting) [83]

Myanmar garment workers’ average monthly wage reported at about 70 USD/month (report) [84]

Pakistan garment sector minimum wage set to PKR 25,000/month (2022) [85]

India garment industry employs about 45 million workers (industry estimate) [86]

2021 survey found 15% of garment workers reported child labor involvement in household (survey) [87]

2019 ILO estimate: 152 million child laborers worldwide (context relevant to supply chains) [88]

2020 ILO estimate: 27.6 million people in forced labor (context) [89]

2017 US DOL: 99% of surveyed garment suppliers had at least one labor rights violation (report) [90]

2014 HRW: wages withheld affecting at least 1.5 million workers in Bangladesh (estimate) [78]

2019 report: 1 in 3 garment workers report wage deductions (survey) [91]

46% of workers in some factories report verbal abuse by supervisors (survey) [92]

39% of workers report being threatened if they complain (survey) [80]

In 2013 Bangladesh Rana Plaza: 1,134 deaths (figure) [75]

In 2012 Bangladesh Tazreen: 378 deaths (figure) [76]

In 2010 Bangladesh Spectrum: 11 deaths (figure) [77]

2013 Rana Plaza: over 2,500 injuries (figure) [75]

2012 Tazreen: at least 1,000 injured (figure) [76]

Pakistan 2012 Baldia factory fire killed 259 workers (figure) [93]

Pakistan 2012 Baldia fire injured about 50 (figure reported) [93]

2013 Karachi garment factory fire killed at least 25 workers (reported) [94]

2021 Pakistan: factory fire in Karachi killed 16 workers (reported) [95]

2022 Cambodia factory fire killed 1 worker (reported) [96]

2019 India: 43 workers died in a garment-related factory fire (reported) [97]

2014 Pakistan: labor rights violations found in fire safety assessments in textile zones (finding) [98]

Bangladesh Accord and Alliance: number of inspections carried out by 2020 in Bangladesh garment factories exceeded 90,000 (reported) [99]

Bangladesh Accord: number of factory remediation actions completed by 2019 exceeded 100,000 (reported) [99]

Bangladesh Accord: number of factories covered reached 1,800+ by 2020 (reported) [99]

Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety: number of factories covered reached 700+ (reported) [100]

Alliance: number of inspections conducted 2013–2020 was over 20,000 (reported) [100]

2021: 20+ brands suspended from Bangladesh Accord/Alliance for non-compliance (reported) [99]

2017: 24 factories in Bangladesh were shut down due to severe safety issues (reported) [99]

2018: 1,800+ factories covered by Accord (reported) [99]

2020: Accord had trained inspectors and workers on safety across Bangladesh factories (reported figure) [99]

2015: 1,000+ factories had remediation underway after inspections (reported) [99]

2019: Alliance reported 1,000+ worker safety trainings (reported) [100]

2016: Accord reported 200+ factories with fire safety defects requiring fixes (reported) [99]

2018: Accord reported structural safety assessments completed for thousands of factories (reported) [99]

2020: Bangladesh Accord: 90% of corrective action plans completed for certain categories (reported) [99]

2013–2014: The number of garment factory building safety violations found by inspections was in the tens of thousands (reported) [99]

2019: Bangladesh labor unrest included 400+ protests/strikes in the garment sector (reported) [39]

2020: increased union repression incidents reported in garment sector in Turkey (reported) [101]

2021: 5+ workers killed in garment-related workplace incidents in India (reported) [102]