Key Insights
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined
Around 20% of wastewater worldwide comes from fabric dyeing and treatment
The fashion industry produces about 92 million tonnes of textile waste annually
Global production of clothing doubled between 2000 and 2014
The world produces approximately 100 billion garments per year
Consumers bought 60% more clothing in 2014 than in 2000, but kept each garment for half as long
The fashion industry employs approximately 60 to 75 million people directly worldwide
Approximately 80% of the world's garment workers are women
Less than 2% of clothing workers globally earn a living wage
Polyester accounts for over 54% of total global fiber production
Cotton represents approximately 24% of the global fiber market
Recycled polyester takes about 59% less energy to produce than virgin polyester
The global apparel market is valued at approximately 1.5 trillion US dollars
The secondhand clothing market is projected to reach $82 billion by 2026
The secondhand market is growing 11 times faster than traditional retail
Economics & Market Value
The global apparel market is valued at approximately 1.5 trillion US dollars
The secondhand clothing market is projected to reach $82 billion by 2026
The secondhand market is growing 11 times faster than traditional retail
E-commerce share of fashion sales is expected to reach 30% by 2025 (up from 12% in 2015)
The luxury fashion market was valued at nearly €283 billion in 2021
Fast fashion market value is expected to reach $163 billion by 2027
China accounts for approx 25% of the global apparel market consumptions
The global smart fabrics market is projected to reach $5.55 billion by 2025
Returns cost US retailers an estimated $428 billion in lost sales in 2020 (across all retail, heavily driven by apparel)
LVMH, the world's largest luxury goods company, recorded revenue of €64.2 billion in 2021
Fashion rental is predicted to be a $2.08 billion market by 2025
The sports apparel market is forecast to reach $248.1 billion by 2026
Clothing and footwear spending worldwide is expected to reach 2.25 trillion dollars by 2025
Shein, a fast fashion giant, reached a valuation of $100 billion in 2022
59% of consumers say they are shopping more sustainably than they were a few years ago
The global children's wear market is estimated to be $203 billion
The sneaker resale market could reach $30 billion by 2030
The digital fashion market (skins/NFTs) is predicted to be worth $50 billion by 2030
Apparel manufacturing in the US dropped by 80% over the last two decades due to offshoring
38% of fashion companies' profits are expected to come from sustainable models by 2030
Interpretation
The $1.5 trillion global fashion industry is a booming yet precarious catwalk where luxury empires and $100 billion fast-fashion giants pad profits while secondhand, rental, resale and digital markets surge eleven times faster than traditional retail, e-commerce climbs, consumers press for sustainability, and costly returns, offshoring and environmental strain threaten to trip the whole parade.
Environmental Impact
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined
Around 20% of wastewater worldwide comes from fabric dyeing and treatment
The fashion industry produces about 92 million tonnes of textile waste annually
Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned
35% of all primary microplastics released into the ocean come from washing synthetic textiles
It takes about 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton t-shirt, which is enough for one person to drink for 900 days
Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of water globally
Less than 1% of materials used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing
Making a pair of jeans produces 33.4 kilograms of CO2 equivalent
87% of the total fiber input used for clothing is ultimately incinerated or sent to a landfill
The apparel industry consumes 215 trillion liters of water per year
Approximately 20,000 to 40,000 different chemicals are used in textile processing
Up to 25% of industrial water pollution in China is caused by textile manufacturing
Laundry of synthetic clothes alone accounts for half a million tonnes of microfibers released into the ocean every year
Extending the life of a garment by just nine months can reduce its carbon, waste, and water footprint by 20-30%
85% of textiles thrown away in the United States are dumped into landfills or burned
The fashion industry's greenhouse gas emissions are projected to surge by more than 50% by 2030
One kilogram of cotton production requires an average of 10,000 liters of water
The sector accounts for 4% of global waste
Every year, half a million tons of plastic microfibers form shed during washing ended up in the ocean
Interpretation
Our clothing habit has become a planet-sized loophole, with fashion responsible for roughly ten percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than all flights and shipping combined, consuming and contaminating vast quantities of water, shedding about half a million tonnes of microplastics into the ocean each year, and burying or burning almost everything it makes because less than one percent of materials are recycled, so unless we start repairing, reusing, and reforming production, looking good will keep costing the Earth.
Materials & Fibers
Polyester accounts for over 54% of total global fiber production
Cotton represents approximately 24% of the global fiber market
Recycled polyester takes about 59% less energy to produce than virgin polyester
Cotton cultivation uses 16% of the world's insecticides and 6% of pesticides
Manmade Cellulosic Fibers (MMCFs) like viscose have a market share of about 6%
Organic cotton comprises less than 1% of total global cotton production
342 million barrels of oil are used each year to produce plastic-based fibers for textiles
Wool accounts for only about 1% of the global fiber market
200 million trees are logged every year to be turned into cellulosic fabrics like viscose
The production of polyester creates nearly 3 times more CO2 than cotton
Nylon accounts for approximately 5% of Global Fiber Production
The global leather goods market utilizes over 1.4 billion hides and skins annually
Recycled cotton accounts for less than 1% of the total cotton market
70 million barrels of oil are used annually to make the polyester used in our clothes
Genetically modified cotton accounts for over 70% of global cotton supply
The market for vegan leather is predicted to be worth $89.6 billion by 2025
Spandex (Elastane) production is growing by 8-9% annually
48% of fashion brands have zero visibility on their raw material suppliers
Use of recycled polyester increased to 14.8% of total polyester production in 2021
Linen (flax) accounts for less than 1% of all textile fibers consumed worldwide
Interpretation
These statistics reveal that fashion is overwhelmingly fueled by petrochemicals and intensive cotton production, consuming hundreds of millions of barrels of oil, vast amounts of pesticides, millions of trees and hides while recycled and organic fibers remain microscopic and supply-chain visibility is almost non-existent, which makes the industry a kind of stylish train wreck for the planet unless brands and consumers force a radical shift.
Quantity & Consumption
Global production of clothing doubled between 2000 and 2014
The world produces approximately 100 billion garments per year
Consumers bought 60% more clothing in 2014 than in 2000, but kept each garment for half as long
The average American throws away approximately 81 pounds of clothing each year
Some garments in the fast fashion sector are worn fewer than 7 times before being disposed of
Global fiber production reached a record 113 million tonnes in 2021
Up to 30% of clothes produced globally are never sold
The European Union generates 5.8 million tonnes of textiles per year, equivalent to 11kg per person
Online return rates for clothing can be as high as 40%, leading to massive inventory waste
In the UK, the average person buys 26.7kg of clothing per year, the highest capacity in Europe
Worldwide clothing utilization—the average number of times a garment is worn—decreased by 36% between 2000 and 2015
China is the world's largest producer of textiles and apparel
80% of all clothing purchased in the US is made in developing countries
The average wardrobe sits with 50% of unworn items
Sneaker production accounts for approximately 24 billion pairs annually
The average consumer buys 68 garments per year
Global consumption of footwear is expected to increase by 50% by 2030
150 billion garments are produced per annum to supply the global demand (an updated industry estimate)
In the last 15 years, clothing production has approximately doubled to meet demand
40% of purchased clothes hanging in our wardrobes are rarely or never worn
Interpretation
Fast fashion has turned clothing into single use theater, with global production more than doubling since 2000 to over a hundred billion garments a year while consumers buy more, wear items far fewer times, and consign mountains of unsold and unwanted textiles to landfills, proving that cheap novelty is enriching supply chains and trashing the planet.
Supply Chain & Labor
The fashion industry employs approximately 60 to 75 million people directly worldwide
Approximately 80% of the world's garment workers are women
Less than 2% of clothing workers globally earn a living wage
In Bangladesh, the ready-made garment sector accounts for over 80% of the country’s total export earnings
Approximately 152 million children are engaged in child labor, many in the fashion supply chain (specifically cotton)
Forced labor conditions have been identified in the cotton production of at least 9 countries
The catastrophic Rana Plaza collapse in 2013 killed 1,134 garment workers, highlighting safety issues
93% of brands surveyed by Fashion Checker do not pay garment workers a living wage at any supplier facility
3,500 chemicals are used in fashion manufacturing, posing health risks to workers
The Asia-Pacific region accounts for more than 60% of global textile exports
Garment workers in some countries often work 14 to 16 hours a day, 7 days a week
Myanmar's garment industry employs over 700,000 workers
50% of workers in the supply chain lack access to social security or contracts
In India, the textile industry is the second largest employer after agriculture
Only 5% of major fashion brands disclose their manufacturers' factory lists
77% of UK retailers believe there is a risk of modern slavery in their supply chains
1 in 3 female garment workers in Asian factories has experienced sexual harassment
Vietnam is the third largest garment exporter in the world
Turkey employs over 1 million people in the textile and clothing sector
The EU textile and clothing sector employs 1.5 million people across 160,000 companies
Interpretation
Fashion may dress the world, but its seams tell a grim secret: the industry employs tens of millions, mostly women, yet pays almost none a living wage; hides child and forced labor; exposes workers to toxic chemicals and brutal hours; shrouds factories in secrecy; and has already paid in lives with disasters like the Rana Plaza collapse.
Sources & References
Learn more about our research methodology and data verification process on our About page.