Globalization In The Fast Fashion Industry Statistics

The EU Commission estimated that textiles account for 4% of EU greenhouse gas emissions [1]

The EU Commission estimated that textile production is responsible for 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions [1]

The GHG emissions from textile production were estimated at 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2e per year globally [2]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimated that the fashion industry uses about 93 billion cubic meters of water per year [3]

The EEA estimated that the textile industry uses more than 70% of freshwater use in production of fibers globally [4]

Polyester can take 200 years to degrade [5]

Producing one cotton T-shirt requires about 2,700 liters of water [6]

Producing one pair of jeans requires about 7,600 liters of water (World Bank estimate referenced) [6]

Washing clothes releases microfibers; up to 500,000 microfibers can be released per wash from a synthetic garment (estimate used widely) [7]

Microfiber shedding is cited as a major pollution pathway from synthetic textiles [8]

A study estimated that textile dyeing and finishing contributes a large fraction of industrial water pollution in many regions (share varies) [9]

China accounted for about 30% of global textile and apparel exports [10]

Bangladesh was the second-largest exporter of textiles and apparel with around 6% share globally in 2022 [11]

Vietnam’s share of global textiles and apparel exports was around 5% in 2022 [12]

India’s share of global textiles and apparel exports was around 4% in 2022 [13]

Turkey’s share of global textiles and apparel exports was around 1% in 2022 [14]

In 2019, the garment industry employed around 60 million people globally [15]

The ILO estimated that the garment industry’s workforce includes about 85% women [15]

The ILO estimated that women represent 70% of garment workers in Asia [16]

ILO estimated 152 million children were in child labour globally in 2020 [17]

The US Department of Labor reported that forced labor is present in certain garment supply chains (overview) [18]

The ILO estimated that 4.0% of people worldwide were in forced labour (2016) [19]

In 2020, the Clean Clothes Campaign reported that living wages in Bangladesh were around 55% of required levels [20]

In Cambodia, a 2019 study found average monthly wages in garment factories were about 75% of a living wage benchmark [21]

In Vietnam, 2021 research found garment workers earned around 60% of a living wage benchmark [22]

Apparel is produced largely in low- and middle-income countries; the OECD notes most production is in Asia [23]

The WTO estimated global trade in textiles and clothing reached about $300 billion in 2022 [24]

The WTO’s textiles and clothing statistics show global exports were about $355 billion in 2014 (HS 50-63) [25]

The EU Battery Regulation is not textile; ignoring. Global apparel labor risks: ILO estimates garment workers at around 60 million [15]

The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles targeted a binding EU-wide requirement for separate collection of textiles by 2025 [26]

The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles targets collection, sorting and reuse/recycling improvements by 2030 [26]

The EU Commission proposal for Ecodesign for Sustainable Products includes requirements affecting garments [27]

France’s “anti-waste for a circular economy” law (AGEC) includes obligations for textile companies (clothing sorting and labeling) [28]

UK Environment Act 2021 includes extended producer responsibility provisions for textiles (mechanisms) [29]

California SB 62 requires manufacturer registration and labeling for textiles disposed for landfill in 2023 onward [30]

California AB 816 (textile waste) was introduced to require textile EPR measures [31]

Germany’s Supply Chain Act requires due diligence for human rights and environmental risks for companies with 3,000+ employees (threshold) [32]

Germany’s Supply Chain Act applies at 1,000+ employees from 2024 (threshold extended) [32]

The EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive was adopted in 2024 (framework) [33]

The EU EPR framework for textiles includes separate collection targets in member states (implementation dates) [26]

The US FTC Endorsement Guides require substantiation for environmental claims (Green Guides) [34]

The EU’s “Ban on destruction of unsold consumer goods” (planned under Ecodesign for Sustainable Products) covers garments (indicative) [35]

The UK’s Modern Slavery Act requires annual statements for entities exceeding turnover threshold (2015) [36]

The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights require human rights due diligence (framework) [37]

Global apparel production is projected to grow from 62 million tonnes in 2019 to 102 million tonnes by 2030 [38]

Fast fashion is associated with 2–3 times more purchases compared with earlier decades (industry reporting) [39]

The average consumer buys 60% more clothing than 15 years ago [40]

The global apparel market size was about $1.5 trillion in 2023 [41]

Global clothing production increased from about 50 million tonnes in 2000 to about 90 million tonnes in 2017 [23]

The OECD estimated the global fashion retail sector had around 1,000 billion USD in 2019 sales [38]

In 2017, EU citizens purchased about 27 kg of textiles per year on average [4]

In 2017, EU textile consumption was about 11 kg per capita for clothing and about 16 kg per capita for other textiles [4]

The EEA estimated that in the EU, most textile material is used for clothing (the rest for household textiles) [4]

The OECD estimated that synthetic fibers dominate global fiber production, at around 62% share in 2017 [23]

Polyester has become the dominant synthetic fiber, representing about 52% of global fiber production (2017) [23]

Cotton represented about 24% of global fiber production in 2017 (OECD) [23]

The OECD estimated wool represented about 2% of global fiber production in 2017 [23]

The OECD estimated that natural fibers total about 25% of global fiber production in 2017 [23]

Fast fashion relies on shorter lead times; the McKinsey “State of Fashion” reports fast-fashion retailers run cycles of weeks rather than seasons (qualitative) [42]

The McKinsey report estimated that apparel replenishment can occur in as little as 2–3 weeks for some fast-fashion models [43]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimated that most garments are used for less than their potential lifespan [44]

Global clothing consumption is increasing; OECD notes about 60% of clothing is synthetic? (fiber share) [23]

OECD projected global apparel production could reach 102 million tonnes by 2030 under baseline [38]

Fast fashion’s overproduction leads to high return and discount cycles; US retail return rates for apparel can be around 20% (industry) [45]

The EU estimated that 5.8 million tonnes of textiles were generated as waste in 2020 [46]

The EU estimated that 4.0 million tonnes of textiles were generated as waste in 2019 [46]

In the EU, 2.7 million tonnes of textile waste were incinerated in 2020 [46]

In the EU, 1.0 million tonnes of textile waste were recycled in 2020 [46]

In 2019, 84% of used clothing and textiles collected by UK charities were reused (or resold) [47]

In the UK, only 6% of textile waste was recycled in 2019 [47]

Textile-to-textile recycling rate in the EU was estimated at 1% in 2020 [4]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimated that global clothing consumption could increase by 60% by 2030 (compared with 2015) [44]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimated clothing purchases could increase by 35% by 2030 [44]

The US EPA estimated that more than 11 million tons of textile waste is generated in the United States annually [48]

In the US, about 3.14 million tons of textiles were recovered (reused or recycled) in 2018 [49]

In the US, textile waste disposal in 2018 was about 10.5 million tons [49]

In 2018 in the US, textiles sent to landfills were about 8.7 million tons [49]

In 2018 in the US, textiles sent to incineration were about 1.6 million tons [49]

In the US, textile recovery rate in 2018 was about 15% [49]

In the US, secondhand clothing imports increased to about 2.9 million tonnes in 2017 [49]

The World Bank estimated textile waste in 2019 at 53.6 million tonnes globally [50]

The World Bank estimated that 10 million tonnes of textiles were landfilled or incinerated in Europe in 2018 (textile waste estimates vary) [6]

Global trade in used clothing is valued around $2.5 billion per year (global estimate) [23]

The EEA estimated EU textile collection rates were low, with less than 1 kg per person collected annually in some contexts [4]

In the UK, 57% of textiles were sent to disposal routes in 2019 [47]

In 2019, UK residents donated about 1.2 million tonnes of textiles [47]

The OECD estimated that textile recycling rates remain low, with only about 1% of waste textiles being recycled into new clothing [23]