Fast Fashion Waste Statistics

More than $500 billion of value is lost every year due to clothing underutilization and lack of recycling [1]

The average number of times a garment is worn before it ceases to be used has decreased by 36% compared to 15 years ago [1]

The global textiles market was worth around EUR 1.3 trillion in 2020 [2]

Global clothing utilization dropped 36% compared to 15 years ago [3]

Clothing utilization globally has fallen by 36% compared with 15 years ago [4]

Clothing utilization rates have dropped by 36% relative to 15 years ago [5]

The clothing textile market in Australia was worth over AUD 28 billion in 2021 [6]

UK residents spend about GBP 44 billion per year on clothing [7]

Extending active life of clothing by 9 months would reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by 20-30% each [8]

The average UK household owns around GBP 4,000 worth of clothes [8]

Around 30% of clothes in UK wardrobes have not been worn for at least a year [8]

UK clothing has an average active life of 3.3 years [8]

The average number of times a garment is worn in the UK is estimated at 26 times [8]

The global second-hand apparel market is expected to reach $350 billion by 2028 [9]

The second-hand market is projected to grow 3 times faster than the global apparel market overall [9]

In 2023, 52% of consumers shopped second-hand apparel [9]

59% of consumers say they would choose a retailer with trade-in credit over one without [9]

32% of consumers say they are willing to pay more for brands with strong sustainability credentials [9]

63% of Gen Z and Millennials look for apparel resale value before buying [9]

The resale market was worth $197 billion globally in 2023 [9]

The U.S. second-hand apparel market reached $43 billion in 2023 [9]

EU consumption of textiles in 2020 required 9 cubic metres of water per person [2]

EU textile consumption in 2020 used 400 square metres of land per person [2]

EU textile consumption in 2020 caused 270 kilograms of raw materials use per person [2]

EU textile consumption in 2020 generated 121 kilograms of CO2 emissions per person [2]

Textile consumption ranked as the fifth highest pressure category for raw materials use and greenhouse gas emissions from household consumption in the EU [2]

Textile consumption ranked fourth highest for water and land use from household consumption in the EU [2]

The industry produced 2.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in 2018 [3]

The fashion industry consumes 93 billion cubic metres of water annually [3]

The fashion industry accounts for about 20% of global wastewater [3]

Half a million tonnes of plastic microfibres are shed into the ocean annually from washing textiles [3]

The fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of global carbon emissions [3]

35% of all microplastics in the ocean come from the laundering of synthetic textiles [10]

Annual greenhouse gas emissions from the textile supply chain are 1.2 billion tonnes CO2 equivalent [5]

The textile industry uses 79 billion cubic metres of water per year [5]

Textile dyeing and treatment contribute around 20% of global industrial water pollution [5]

Synthetic textiles account for 35% of primary microplastics released into the environment [5]

The carbon footprint of clothing in active use in the UK is estimated at 26.2 million tonnes CO2e [8]

Water demand associated with clothing in active use in the UK is 8 billion cubic metres [8]

EU textile consumption in 2020 required 1.3 tonnes of raw materials per person [11]

EU textile consumption in 2020 required 104 cubic metres of water per person [11]

EU textile consumption in 2020 used 391 square metres of land per person [11]

EU textile consumption in 2020 caused 270 kilograms of CO2 emissions per person [11]

Washing synthetic products accounts for 35% of primary microplastics released into the environment [11]

The fashion industry uses around 1.5 trillion litres of water annually [12]

The fashion industry produces 10% of annual global carbon emissions [12]

The fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply [12]

Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water globally [12]

One wash load of polyester clothes can release 700,000 microplastic fibres [12]

Textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined [12]

10% of global carbon emissions are produced by the fashion industry [13]

20% of global wastewater comes from textile dyeing and treatment [13]

35% of ocean microplastics come from washing synthetic textiles [13]

The Netherlands aims to reduce the environmental footprint of textiles by 30-50% by 2030 [14]

Clothing and textile consumption in Denmark causes 780,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually [15]

Clothing and textile consumption in Denmark uses 64 billion litres of water annually [15]

It takes 2,700 litres of water to produce one cotton T-shirt [16]

It takes 20,000 litres of water to produce 1 kilogram of cotton [16]

One pair of jeans requires about 3,781 litres of water over its life cycle [17]

A cotton shirt requires about 2,700 litres of water to produce [17]

The fashion industry is responsible for 20% of global water waste [17]

The fashion industry uses 93 billion cubic metres of water annually [17]

The fashion industry contributes up to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions [17]

The equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned every second [1]

73% of clothing is landfilled or incinerated at end of use [1]

About 5.8 million tonnes of textiles are discarded every year in the EU [2]

This equals roughly 11 kilograms of textiles discarded per person per year in the EU [2]

78% of post-consumer textile waste in the EU was not separately collected in 2020 [2]

In 2020, 8 kilograms of textiles per person in the EU were discarded [2]

Each year, people discard the equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes every second [3]

In the US, 11.3 million tons of textile waste ended up in landfills in 2018 [18]

Textiles generation in the US was 17 million tons in 2018 [18]

Textiles represented 5.8% of total municipal solid waste landfilled in the US in 2018 [18]

2.5 million tons of textiles were combusted with energy recovery in the US in 2018 [18]

The average American throws away about 81.5 pounds of clothes each year [10]

More than half of fast fashion produced is disposed of in under a year [10]

87% of the total fiber input used for clothing is ultimately incinerated or disposed of in landfill [5]

73% of textiles produced are landfilled or incinerated at end of life [5]

Textile waste in Australia amounted to 800,000 tonnes per year [6]

Australians discard an average of 23 kilograms of clothing each year [6]

Clothing in Australia is sent to landfill at a rate of 200,000 kilograms every hour [6]

93% of clothing in Australia ends up in landfill or is exported overseas [6]

In the UK, 336,000 tonnes of used clothing are discarded in household residual waste every year [7]

Around 730,000 tonnes of non-reusable used textiles arose in the UK in 2016 [7]

300,000 tonnes of clothing ended up in household bins in the UK in 2016 [7]

Waste arising over the lifecycle of clothing used in the UK is estimated at 1.7 million tonnes per year [8]

In 2018, 17 million tons of textile waste were generated in the US [19]

In 2018, 11.3 million tons of textile waste were landfilled in the US [19]

In 2018, 2.5 million tons of textile waste were combusted in the US [19]

New York City residents discard more than 200,000 tons of clothing and textiles each year [20]

Clothing and textiles make up about 6% of all residential waste in New York City [20]

The average American generates 82 pounds of textile waste each year [20]

In California, an estimated 1.2 million tons of textiles are disposed of each year [21]

Californians throw away about 46 pounds of textiles per person per year [21]

In Hong Kong, 392 tonnes of textiles are disposed of in landfills every day [22]

73% of disposed clothing in Hong Kong is sent to landfills [22]

About 217 tonnes of clothing are thrown away in Hong Kong every day [22]

The EU generated 6.95 million tonnes of textile waste in 2020 [11]

The EU generated 16 kilograms of textile waste per person in 2020 [11]

About 87% of the total fibre input used for clothing in the EU is incinerated or landfilled [11]

85% of all textiles go to the dump each year [12]

Americans toss out more than 34 billion pounds of used textiles annually [13]

More than 92 million tonnes of textile waste are produced globally each year [13]

350,000 tonnes of used clothing go to landfill in the UK every year [13]

The average American throws away 37 kilograms of clothing annually [13]

57% of discarded clothing goes to landfill in the UK [13]

China generated about 26 million tonnes of used clothes in 2020 [23]

China’s used-clothes generation rose from 18 million tonnes in 2016 to 26 million tonnes in 2020 [23]

In 2021, 47% of discarded used textiles in Sweden were incinerated [24]

In 2021, 8% of discarded used textiles in Sweden were landfilled [24]

Around 90,000 tonnes of textiles are thrown away in household waste in Sweden each year [24]

Around 7.5 kilograms of textiles per person are thrown away in household waste each year in Sweden [24]

The average Dutch consumer throws away 12 kilograms of textiles every year [14]

Danes throw away 677 pieces of clothing every minute [15]

Danes throw away around 41 million kilograms of textiles every year [15]

85% of textiles end up in landfills each year [17]

Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned [17]

87% of total fibre input used for clothing is incinerated or landfilled [17]

Clothing production approximately doubled between 2000 and 2015 [1]

Global textile production reached 109 million tonnes in 2020 [2]

Global textile consumption is projected to rise to 160 million tonnes by 2030 [2]

In 2020, the average EU citizen bought 19 kilograms of clothing, footwear and household textiles [2]

Around 60% of clothing materials are made into garments within a year of production [1]

Consumers buy 60% more clothes than 15 years ago [3]

17 million tons of textiles generated in the US in 2018 amounted to 5.8% of total MSW generation [18]

The average consumer bought 60% more clothing in 2014 than in 2000, but kept each garment for half as long [4]

The average number of garments purchased each year by the average consumer increased by 60% from 2000 to 2014 [4]

In 2015, global clothing production exceeded 100 billion units for the first time [5]

Apparel consumption is expected to rise by 63% by 2030 [5]

Total apparel and footwear material consumption is expected to rise from 62 million tonnes in 2015 to 102 million tonnes in 2030 [5]

Australians purchased 56 new clothing items on average in 2021 [6]

About 7,800 million new clothing items were purchased in Australia in 2021 [6]

The UK generates around 1.13 million tonnes of clothing purchases per year [7]

Around 57% of textile products in circulation in the EU in 2019 were imported [11]

Around 100 billion garments are produced globally every year [13]

Clothing purchases are expected to rise by 63% by 2030 [13]

The average Briton buys 26.7 kilograms of clothes annually and throws away 11 kilograms [13]

In France, 3.3 billion clothing items were placed on the market in 2022 [25]

In France, 715,000 tonnes of textiles, household linens and shoes were marketed in 2022 [25]

The average French person buys 48 clothing items, 8 pairs of shoes and 6 pieces of household linen per year [25]

Swedes buy 13-14 kilograms of new textiles per person each year [24]

The textile flow in Sweden amounts to around 140,000 tonnes per year [24]

The average Dutch consumer buys 46 new garments every year [14]

Denmark buys more than 89,000 tonnes of clothing and household textiles each year [15]

Less than 1% of material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing [1]

12% of material used for clothing is recycled into lower-value applications such as insulation and mattress stuffing [1]

Around 2% of textile waste is recycled into fibers with the same or similar quality [2]

22% of post-consumer textile waste was separately collected in the EU in 2020 [2]

About 1.4 million tonnes of post-consumer textiles were separately collected in the EU in 2020 [2]

Of separately collected textiles in Europe, 32% were recycled in Europe [2]

Of separately collected textiles in Europe, 8% were reused in Europe [2]

Of separately collected textiles in Europe, 38% were exported outside Europe [2]

Less than 1% of clothes are recycled into new clothes [3]

The textile recycling rate in the US was 14.7% in 2018 [18]

4.4 million tons of textiles were recycled in the US in 2018 [18]

12% of textile material is downcycled into lower-value applications [5]

1% of used clothing is recycled into new clothing in a closed loop [5]

Only 7% of unwanted clothing in Australia is recycled [6]

Around 620,000 tonnes of clothing were collected for reuse and recycling in the UK in 2016 [7]

Clothing reuse and recycling in the UK save around 650,000 tonnes of CO2e per year compared with landfill and incineration [8]

In 2018, 3.2 million tons of textile waste were recycled in the US [19]

More than 95% of used clothing and textiles can be recycled or reused [20]

Approximately 85% of textiles can be reused or recycled instead of landfilled [21]

The number of used textiles recovered in Hong Kong was 93 tonnes per day in 2019 [22]

In 2019, about 17% of waste textiles in Hong Kong were recycled after collection [22]

Of household textile waste in the EU, 4.4 kilograms per person was separately collected for reuse and recycling in 2020 [11]

Less than 1% of all textiles worldwide are recycled into new products [11]

Less than 1% of material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing at the same quality [13]

In France, 244,448 tonnes of textiles, household linens and shoes were collected in 2022 [25]

This collection volume in France represented 3.6 kilograms per inhabitant in 2022 [25]

68% of collected textiles, household linens and shoes in France were reused in 2022 [25]

32% of collected textiles, household linens and shoes in France were recycled in 2022 [25]

56% of collected textiles in France were reused in Africa in 2022 [25]

In 2021, 33% of discarded used textiles in Sweden were reused [24]

In 2021, 14% of discarded used textiles in Sweden were recycled [24]

About half of discarded textiles in the Netherlands still consist of reusable materials [14]

The Netherlands aims to use at least 50% sustainable materials in textiles by 2030 [14]

The Netherlands aims for 100% circular textiles by 2050 [14]