Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined
It takes about 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton shirt which is enough for one person to drink for 2.5 years
The fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of water worldwide
The global secondhand market is projected to double in the next 5 years reaching $77 billion
Resale is expected to grow 11 times faster than the broader retail clothing sector by 2025
The secondhand clothing market is expected to be twice the size of fast fashion by 2030
Less than 1% of used clothing is recycled into new garments
Synthetic fibers like polyester release half a million tonnes of microfibers into the ocean every year
Polyester production for textiles releases two to three times more carbon emissions than cotton
88% of consumers want brands to help them be more environmentally friendly and ethical in their daily lives
60% of millennials say they want to shop more sustainably
Extending the life of a garment by just nine months of active use would reduce carbon, waste, and water footprints by around 20-30% each
93% of brands surveyed by the Fashion Checker do not pay garment workers a living wage
Approximately 80% of garment workers worldwide are women aged 18-35
Only 5% of major fashion brands publish a list of their raw material suppliers
Consumer Behavior
- 88% of consumers want brands to help them be more environmentally friendly and ethical in their daily lives
- 60% of millennials say they want to shop more sustainably
- Extending the life of a garment by just nine months of active use would reduce carbon, waste, and water footprints by around 20-30% each
- Consumers bought 60% more clothing in 2014 than in 2000 but kept each garment for half as long
- 57% of consumers are willing to change their purchasing habits to help reduce negative environmental impact
- The average American throws away approximately 81 pounds of clothing each year
- 33% of consumers have switched from their preferred brand to another because it credibly stands for sustainability
- #Haul videos on TikTok encourage overconsumption, with the term having over 10 billion views, promoting fast fashion culture over slow fashion
- 20% of garments produced are never worn by anyone and go straight to waste
- 30% of clothes in UK wardrobes have not been worn for at least a year
- 65% of consumers use social media to discover sustainable fashion brands
- 50% of consumers would switch brands if they found out a brand was environmentally harmful
- 66% of responders say they consider sustainability when purchasing a luxury product
- 88% of US consumers say they would like brands to help them be more environmentally friendly
- 72% of Gen Z shoppers said they were willing to pay more for sustainably produced goods
- 40% of consumers admit to purchasing clothes they never wear
- 25% of consumers say they have boycotted a brand for ethical or environmental reasons
- 75% of consumers in 5 countries view sustainability as extremely or very important
- 90% of Gen Z consumers believe companies must tackle environmental and social issues
- 64% of consumers would buy a product if they knew the workers were treated well
Interpretation
With roughly nine in ten shoppers asking brands to help them be greener, many Gen Z and millennials willing to pay more or switch loyalties, yet 20% of garments never worn and the average American tossing about 81 pounds of clothing a year while haul culture fuels overconsumption, the message is clear and urgent: brands must make longer‑lasting, ethical and clearly sustainable choices or watch consumers' good intentions get buried under a mountain of fast fashion.
Environmental Impact
- The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined
- It takes about 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton shirt which is enough for one person to drink for 2.5 years
- The fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of water worldwide
- Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of water globally
- Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned
- Washing clothes releases 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean each year, the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles
- Global footwear production accounts for 1.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions
- The fashion industry consumes 98 million tonnes of non-renewable resources annually
- If the fashion industry continues on its current path, by 2050 it could use more than 26% of the carbon budget associated with a 2°C pathway
- 200 tonnes of water are used per tonne of fabric in the textile industry
- Fashion accounts for 20-35% of microplastic flows into the ocean
- The carbon footprint of a polyester shirt is 5.5 kg CO2e, compared to 2.1 kg CO2e for a cotton shirt
- By 2030, the fashion industry's water consumption is projected to increase by 50% to 118 billion cubic meters
- Washing, solvents, and dyes used in manufacturing are responsible for one-fifth of industrial water pollution
- A single pair of jeans requires up to 10,000 liters of water to produce, mainly due to cotton cultivation
- 3500 chemicals are used in fashion production, many of which are hazardous to human health
- 8,000 synthetic chemicals are used to turn raw materials into textiles
- Transportation of textiles accounts for 2-3% of global logistics emissions
- Growing cotton accounts for 24% of the world's insecticide use
- Laundry contributes to 35% of primary microplastics released into the environment
Interpretation
Fashion is no longer just about trends; it's stitching together a planetary crisis — responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined, guzzling vast amounts of water (about 2,700 liters for a single cotton shirt and up to 10,000 liters for a pair of jeans) while ranking as the world's second-largest water consumer and making textile dyeing the second-largest polluter of water, sending the equivalent of a garbage truck of textiles to landfill or incineration every second, releasing 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean each year, consuming 98 million tonnes of non-renewable resources and thousands of hazardous chemicals, and on its current path threatening to use more than a quarter of the carbon budget for a 2°C climate pathway by 2050.
Labor & Ethics
- 93% of brands surveyed by the Fashion Checker do not pay garment workers a living wage
- Approximately 80% of garment workers worldwide are women aged 18-35
- Only 5% of major fashion brands publish a list of their raw material suppliers
- Roughly 2% of fashion workers earn a livable wage
- Modern slavery affects an estimated 40 million people, many of whom work in fashion supply chains
- 77% of UK retailers believe there is a risk of modern slavery in their supply chains
- Major brands cancel over $16 billion worth of goods during crises leaving workers without pay
- Union density in the garment sector in Bangladesh is less than 5%, limiting worker bargaining power
- Women in the garment industry are paid on average 18% less than their male counterparts
- In 2021, only 29% of largest fashion brands disclosed their commitment to eliminating forced labor
- 54% of fashion brands do not publish their gender pay gap data
- There were 96 confirmed deaths of garment workers in 2020 due to unsafe factory conditions
- Only 14% of major brands surveyed have worker committees that are democratically elected
- Approximately 75% of garment workers in Bangladesh have experienced verbal abuse
- 85% of brands have yet to disclose their annual production volumes
- 98% of workers in the fashion industry are not paid a living wage that covers their basic needs
- Only 3% of the price of a clothing item typically goes to the worker who made it
- 0% of companies can prove they pay a living wage to 100% of their workers in their supply chain
- 68% of fashion brands do not publish a list of their first-tier manufacturers
- An estimated 170 million children are engaged in child labor, with many in the textile industry
Interpretation
Fashion sells us dreams while its statistics reveal the nightmare: most brands hide suppliers and avoid paying living wages, leaving predominantly young women and children trapped in poverty, abuse and even deadly conditions while almost none of a garment’s price reaches the hands that made it.
Materials & Recycling
- Less than 1% of used clothing is recycled into new garments
- Synthetic fibers like polyester release half a million tonnes of microfibers into the ocean every year
- Polyester production for textiles releases two to three times more carbon emissions than cotton
- Over 100 billion garments are produced annually, double the amount from the year 2000
- 73% of the world's clothing eventually ends up in landfills
- Conventional cotton farming uses 16% of the world's insecticides
- Viscose production (a 'natural' fiber) is responsible for 30% of global rayon production contributing to deforestation
- 60% of all clothing materials are plastic (polyester, acrylic, nylon)
- Organic cotton production uses 91% less water than conventional cotton
- Recycled polyester (rPET) reduces carbon emissions by 79% compared to virgin polyester
- Only 12% of clothing material globally ends up being recycled in some way (mostly downcycled)
- Manufacturing nylon creates nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide
- Leather production typically requires 50 different chemicals, including heavy metals like chromium
- Lyocell/Tencel has a water footprint 20 times lower than cotton
- Mushroom leather alternatives can be grown in 2 weeks compared to years for animal leather
- Hemp yields 200-250% more fiber in the same amount of land compared to cotton
- Regenerative agriculture practiced for material sourcing can sequester carbon back into the soil
- Pineapple leather (Piñatex) is made from byproduct leaves of the pineapple harvest requiring no extra land or water
- Wool garments are washed 25% less frequently than cotton or synthetic garments due to odor resistance
- Using recycled cotton saves 765,000 liters of water per tonne of cotton produced
Interpretation
Our global wardrobe behaves like a stealthy environmental superpower, emitting massive greenhouse gases, shedding half a million tonnes of microfibers into the oceans each year, sending 73 percent of what we buy to landfills, and relying on fossil-fuel plastics for 60 percent of fibers while conventional cultivation and leather-making drain water, pump toxins and clear forests; the same statistics also hand us a clear playbook—organic and recycled fibers, Lyocell, hemp, mushroom and pineapple leathers, regenerative agriculture and smarter washing and recycling can drastically cut water use, emissions, deforestation and waste, so choosing differently is the trend that truly matters.
Resale & Circular Economy
- The global secondhand market is projected to double in the next 5 years reaching $77 billion
- Resale is expected to grow 11 times faster than the broader retail clothing sector by 2025
- The secondhand clothing market is expected to be twice the size of fast fashion by 2030
- 1 in 3 consumers care more about wearing sustainable apparel than they did prior to the pandemic
- 76% of people who have never resold clothing are open to trying it
- Rental apparel market value is expected to reach $2.08 billion by 2025
- 42% of millennials and Gen Z say they will spend more on secondhand items in the next 5 years
- 62% of Gen Z look for an item secondhand before purchasing it new
- The number of brands launching resale programs increased by 275% in 2021 compared to 2020
- 45% of consumers say they are more likely to buy from a brand that offers second-hand clothing alongside new items
- 118 million households bought secondhand products in 2021
- The secondhand luxury market grew 65% from 2017 to 2021
- 43% of consumers say they would shop more secondhand if it were easier to find items in their size
- European circular fashion market is estimated to be worth 3-5 billion Euros
- 82% of Americans buy secondhand products to save money, highlighting the economic accessibility of slow fashion
- The online clothing rental market is expected to grow at a specific CAGR of 10% from 2021 to 2026
- Upcycling can reduce the carbon footprint of a garment by up to 25%
- The US secondhand furniture and decor market is expected to reach $16.6 billion by 2025
- Consumers saved $390 billion worldwide by buying secondhand in 2022
- 23% of closet space goes unused in standard households, driving the urge for rotation via resale or rental
Interpretation
Slow fashion is quietly staging a takeover, driven by consumers who care more about price and the planet than before the pandemic and led by Gen Z and millennials who often look secondhand first, as resale and rental markets surge into multi billion dollar industries projected to double to $77 billion in five years and to be twice the size of fast fashion by 2030, while brands rush to add resale programs, shoppers saved $390 billion worldwide in 2022, and easier size discovery, rental options and upcycling that can cut a garment's carbon footprint by up to 25 percent are the practical levers to convert empty closet space into a mainstream circular economy.
References
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