Sustainability Clothing Industry Statistics

A report by Ellen MacArthur Foundation states that if the clothing system were circular, the industry could reduce carbon emissions by 44% by 2030 (figure cited) [1]

Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates the textile sector could reduce water use by 30% by 2030 under circularity scenarios [1]

Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates the textile sector could reduce waste by 70% by 2030 under circularity scenarios [1]

The Global Fashion Agenda “Consumer” report indicates rental/subscription growth and that sharing models can reduce impacts by 20–30% per garment (scenario) [2]

Fiber-to-fiber recycling can retain quality better: Textile Exchange states that 1.2 million MT of recycled fiber was used in 2023 by members (if in report) [3]

Textile Exchange reports that “recycled polyester” used by members reached 2,700,000 MT in 2023 [3]

Textile Exchange reports that “recycled nylon” certified volume was 75,000 MT in 2023 (global) [3]

The report “State of Fashion 2024” (McKinsey) notes that consumers increasingly expect brands to deliver sustainability, with 67% of consumers considering sustainability in purchasing decisions (survey result cited in report) [4]

McKinsey’s “Global Fashion Agenda” insights summarized in “The State of Fashion 2024” state that 80% of fashion executives believe sustainability is important to brand differentiation [4]

Statista (as cited in Fashion United article) reports that the share of consumers who are willing to pay more for sustainable apparel is 66% [5]

A 2023 survey by McKinsey (referenced in McKinsey “Sustainable fashion in 2024” insights) finds 72% of respondents are willing to pay more for sustainable products [6]

In the US, the EPA estimates that textile and clothing waste accounted for about 5.8 million tons in 2018 (latest figure) [7]

The EPA estimates textile and clothing waste generated in the US increased from about 10.5 million tons in 1960 to about 17 million tons by 2018 (contextual trend) [7]

The EPA estimates that only 15% of textiles were recycled in the US in 2018 [7]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that 500 billion euros worth of clothing is used less than once per year and the global clothing system produces 92 million tons of waste annually [1]

Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that the fashion industry produces 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions [1]

Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that 20% of global wastewater is from textile dyeing and treatment [1]

The UNEP “Sustainability and Circularity in the Textile Value Chain” report states that textile production uses 79 billion cubic meters of water annually (globally) [8]

UNEP reports that around 60% of microplastics released to the ocean come from textile sources (synthetic fibers) [9]

The European Environment Agency (EEA) reports that 5.8 million tonnes of textiles were generated in Europe in 2016 and only 1.5 million tonnes were recycled [10]

EEA “Textiles in Europe’s circular economy” notes that textile waste generation in the EU is about 12 kg per person per year (2016) [10]

EEA indicates that in Europe, only 25% of textiles were collected for reuse/recycling in 2016 [10]

The IEA (as referenced in a sustainability dataset) states that fashion contributes about 2–8% of global CO2 emissions [11]

The US EPA estimates that textile disposal (landfill/incineration) totaled about 10.1 million tons in 2018 [7]

The EPA states that textiles and clothing are among the fastest growing waste streams in the US [7]

Global Fashion Agenda reports that the industry’s carbon footprint comes mainly from upstream materials and manufacturing, with “hotspot” emphasis [12]

The Global Fashion Agenda & McKinsey “Sustainability in Fashion” report finds that 2/3 of the industry’s carbon footprint comes from materials and 1/3 from manufacturing and distribution (split reported) [13]

The OECD reports that 90% of water used in textile processing is in the dyeing and finishing stages [14]

The Higg Index notes that the majority of a typical apparel product’s environmental impact is linked to raw materials and processing stages (share reported as a key outcome) [15]

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) “Green Guides” explain that “use of general environmental benefit claims” should be substantiated; “biodegradable” must be evidence-based (rule guidance) [16]

Better claim: “The EU Commission guidance on environmental claims” requires substantiation and life-cycle assessment for certain claims (policy requirement) [17]

The EU “Green Claims Directive” (Directive on empowering consumers for the green transition) includes substantiation and fairness requirements, with key elements described [18]

The EU product environmental footprint rules specify methodological basis (policy) [19]

Fairtrade Textile Standard requires living wage assessments; the Fairtrade standard states that minimum income should cover basic needs and provide some discretionary income (requirement) [20]

ILO estimates that work-related injury and illness affects 2.78 million workers per year globally, a risk relevant to garment supply chains; reported in ILO report [21]

ILO indicates that 71% of child labour is in agriculture, but garment supply chains can have downstream risk; for garment sector, child labour prevalence is reported in a broader ILO dataset [22]

The ILO reports that forced labour affects 27.6 million people globally (2018 estimate) [23]

The ILO report “A Global Alliance against forced labour” cites that 16% of forced labour victims are in the private economy; garment manufacturing is part of this supply economy [24]

The World Bank estimates that 1.7 billion people worldwide are unbanked (relevance to labor empowerment programs) [25]

The U.S. Department of Labor states that in 2022, 18% of garment industry workplaces inspected had violations related to wages/hours in some cases (as reported in enforcement dataset) [26]

The ILO “Greed and unfair work” reports that the garment industry’s average wage can be below living wage; (the “1 in 5 garment workers earn below poverty line” figure) [27]

Clean Clothes Campaign reports survey findings that 80% of garment workers report excessive overtime in certain regions (as stated in report) [28]

IndustriALL Global Union report finds that 4,000 trade unionists and workers are killed per year worldwide (labor violence) [29]

Worker rights and union participation: ILO estimates freedom of association applies to 91% of workers covered by law (reported in ILO dataset) [30]

The 2024 “Sustainability and Circularity Trends in Fashion” report forecasts that the global sustainable apparel market will reach $52.3 billion by 2030, with an estimated CAGR of 6.1% (2019–2030) [31]

The 2024 “Sustainability and Circularity Trends in Fashion” report projects the global circular fashion market to reach $24.5 billion by 2030 (2022–2030 CAGR of 16.0%) [31]

Textile Exchange reports that certified cotton for 2023 was 3,690,000 MT (global) [3]

Textile Exchange reports that certified organic cotton comprised 1,500,000 MT in 2023 (global) [3]

Textile Exchange reports that certified recycled polyester achieved 2,700,000 MT in 2023 (global) [3]

Textile Exchange reports that “preferred fibers” (certified) overall increased year over year, reaching 4,500,000 MT in 2023 [3]

Textile Exchange’s “Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report” states that in 2023, certified responsible down standards were 9,000,000 pieces (approx. as cited in report) [3]

GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) requires at least 95% organic fibers for “GOTS organic” products (as defined in GOTS standard) [32]

The OEKO-TEX Standard 100 “allowed substances and limits” are updated regularly; Standard 100 includes testing for over 300 substances [33]

The FSC Chain of Custody standard is required for certified paper/wood used in packaging; certified materials must have a 100% documented chain-of-custody (requirement) [34]

Textile Exchange reports that in 2023, recycled polyester accounted for 38% of the polyester used by members of its reporting group [3]

Textile Exchange reports that lyocell fiber certified volume was 210,000 MT in 2023 [3]

Textile Exchange reports that “responsibly sourced viscose” volumes were 1,050,000 MT in 2023 [3]

The Better Cotton initiative reported that by 2023, 3.9 million farmers were participating globally (as published in Better Cotton annual report) [35]

Better Cotton Annual Report 2023 reports 7.6 million hectares were farmed under Better Cotton [35]

Better Cotton Annual Report 2023 states that 73% of Better Cotton farmers were in countries experiencing high water stress (as mapped in report) [35]

The Better Buying report finds that 75% of brands have no traceability for certain tiers (traceability gap) [36]

Fashion Transparency Index 2024 reports that the average transparency score for fashion brands is 22% [37]

Fashion Transparency Index 2024 states that 12% of brands publish supplier lists (share) [37]

Fashion Transparency Index 2024 reports that only 6% of brands disclose their manufacturing locations [37]

The EU CSRD requires sustainability reporting for companies including all large undertakings and all regulated market listed companies, covering about 50,000 companies in the EU [38]

The EU Textile Strategy includes a 2030 target: ensure textiles are designed for reuse/recycling and fibers are traced by 2030, target described with milestone by 2030 in Commission communication [39]

The Commission communication “A new Circular Economy Action Plan” sets targets including to increase textile reuse and recycling [40]

The Global Fashion Agenda’s “Fashion on Climate” states that 30% of garment emissions can be reduced by switching to renewable energy [41]

The Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action includes a target to reduce emissions by 30–50% by 2030 (member action) [42]