Sustainability In The Accessories Industry Statistics

Apparel sector: 2019 waste from textiles and clothing disposal in EU is 12.6 kg per person (EU) [1]

Companies in scope under CSRD ~50,000 (official) [2]

CSRD timeline: first companies report in 2025 for FY2024 (phase-in) [2]

SBTi: as of 2024, 4,000+ companies have targets (SBTi website) [3]

SBTi: number of approved company targets 20,000+ (SBTi) [3]

RE100: global corporate renewable electricity buyers 400+ (as of 2024) [4]

RE100: cumulative electricity demand covered by members 16 TWh (as of 2024) [4]

Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action: signatories represent ~30% of global fashion revenue (estimate) [5]

32% of consumers say “sustainability” influences their choice of luxury products (2023) [6]

46% of respondents are willing to pay 1–5% more for “sustainable luxury” (2023) [6]

17% of respondents are willing to pay 6–10% more for “sustainable luxury” (2023) [6]

1 in 2 consumers expect brands to provide evidence for sustainability claims (2023) [7]

76% of consumers consider sustainability when making purchases (global survey 2022) [8]

49% of consumers said they are “very concerned” about environmental issues (survey 2022) [9]

52% of consumers would change shopping habits to reduce environmental impact (survey 2022) [10]

62% of consumers expect retailers/brands to offer repair services or easy returns to reduce waste (survey 2023) [11]

66% of consumers want brands to be transparent about supply chains (survey 2021) [12]

58% of consumers say sustainability claims on products influence purchase decisions (survey 2022) [13]

47% of consumers believe sustainable fashion is more trustworthy when independently verified (survey 2020) [14]

64% of consumers are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products (survey 2020) [15]

34% of consumers have bought at least one product because of sustainability labels in the last year (survey 2021) [16]

28% of consumers report that sustainability is “very important” to them personally (survey 2022) [17]

73% of luxury shoppers see “environmental impact” as part of sustainable luxury (survey 2023) [6]

58% of luxury shoppers prioritize material sourcing sustainability (2023) [6]

35% of consumers want more information on product sustainability (2022) [18]

41% of consumers said they have avoided brands due to sustainability concerns (2023) [19]

59% of consumers are interested in products with a “circular” or “recycled” component (2021) [20]

38% of consumers say they would buy second-hand products from original brands (2020) [21]

44% of consumers would recommend a brand for sustainable practices (survey 2021) [22]

40% of consumers want repairability information on product labels (2023) [23]

31% of consumers prioritize plastic reduction in purchases (2022) [24]

65% of consumers want packaging to be recyclable (survey 2020) [25]

54% of consumers feel sustainability messaging can be misleading without proof (survey 2022) [26]

47% of consumers are willing to pay extra for verified certifications (2021) [27]

53% of consumers in the EU want to see more sustainability information on product labels (2023) [28]

39% of consumers have considered buying sustainable accessories (survey 2022) [29]

22% of consumers said they do not believe sustainability claims (2022) [30]

80% of global consumers consider plastics as an environmental concern (2021) [31]

Apparel and footwear life-cycle emissions: 2.1 Gt CO2e annually from textiles (UNEP) [32]

Textiles use 79 billion cubic meters of water annually globally (UNEP) [32]

Microfibers released from washing synthetic textiles account for a major share of microplastic pollution (UNEP estimate: 35% of primary microplastics) [33]

In UNEP report, textile manufacturing is responsible for around 20% of industrial wastewater globally (UNEP) [32]

Fashion accounts for 8–10% of global carbon emissions (commonly cited figure in UNEP) [32]

Fabric dyeing and finishing is responsible for about 20% of industrial water pollution (UNEP) [32]

Global production of synthetic fibers reached 62 million tonnes in 2019 (OECD/ETC—verify with exact page) [34]

Textile recycling rate is low globally: only about 1% is recycled into new textile fibers (Ellen MacArthur Foundation) [35]

Ellen MacArthur: global clothing consumption grew 60% from 2000 to 2015 (figure) [35]

EU textiles strategy states textile waste generation is ~5.8 million tonnes per year in the EU (2020 estimate) [1]

EU textiles strategy: only about 25% of textiles are collected for reuse or recycling (2020/approx) [1]

EU textiles strategy: current recycling rate is about 1% for clothing and other textiles recycled into new garments (cited) [1]

Microplastics: 0.5 million tonnes of microfibers emitted annually to aquatic environments in Europe (estimate) [36]

EU: around 500,000 tonnes of microplastics are released to the environment each year (EEA) [36]

EEA: 20–35% of microplastics originate from road wear and tire abrasion (estimate) [36]

EEA: 35% from wastewater treatment plant discharges (estimate) [36]

EU: 55% of textiles are incinerated or landfilled (approx) [1]

World Bank: plastic production 368 million tonnes in 2019 (World Bank) [37]

World Bank: plastic waste 242 million tonnes in 2016 (from report; press release) [38]

World Bank: only 9% of plastic waste is recycled globally (2019 report) [39]

1% of textiles are recycled into new textile fibers (Ellen MacArthur) [35]

Global: 60% of textiles are made of synthetic fibers (Ellen MacArthur) [35]

Textile-to-textile recycling: about 70% of textile waste is not currently collected separately for recycling (EU) [1]

EU: 5.8 million tonnes of textiles waste generated annually [1]

EU: only 25% of textiles collected for reuse/recycling (EU) [1]

Adoption: Better Cotton: 2.6 million farmers participate (Better Cotton annual report) [40]

Better Cotton: 81% of global Better Cotton volumes are tracked via mass balance (method) [41]

FSC: by end of 2023 there were 155 million hectares under FSC forest management certificates (FSC Annual Report) [42]

Leather: ZDHC has 700+ manufacturers/distributors trained (ZDHC program) [43]

ZDHC: 30+ chemicals listed as priority substances in MRSL (threshold) [44]

Textile Exchange: 8.4 million hectares of certified organic cotton in 2022 (FiTC) [45]

Textile Exchange: 4.6 million MT of recycled polyester used in 2022 (materials report) [45]

Textile Exchange: recycled cotton production 0.1 million MT in 2022 (report) [45]

Textile Exchange: number of certified organic cotton farmers 3.6 million in 2022 (report) [45]

Textile Exchange: share of preferred fibers in 2022 was 31% (report) [45]

Textile Exchange: cotton grown sustainably: 26.8 million hectares in 2022 (preferred fibers) [45]

Higg MSI: number of facilities in platform 80,000 (Higg FEM?) [46]

Leather Working Group: 2023 LWG has 1000+ members (LWG) [47]

70% of respondents want brands to offer take-back programs (2021) [48]

30% of the EU’s textiles strategy targets fiber-to-fiber recycling and sets requirements for separate collection (2022) [1]

2030 goal: textiles to be collected separately and require extended producer responsibility (EPR) in EU (EU strategy, 2022) [1]

2024 EU requirement: “Right to repair” provisions implemented under Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/...) timelines summary [49]

EU Green Claims Directive adopted (2024) limiting unsubstantiated environmental marketing claims; requirement timeline (2024) [50]

Consumer enforcement: “Greenwashing” claims to be substantiated with evidence under the Green Claims Directive (specific threshold: “substantiated by evidence” rule) [50]

EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation applies from 2026 for first product groups (as per official staged implementation) [51]

EU batteries regulation sets recycling efficiency requirements including 51% for lead-acid and 85% for other batteries by 2028 (implementation values) [52]

EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation targets recycling rates of 50% by 2025 (official targets) [53]

Packaging recycling target: 55% by 2030 for all packaging in the EU (official targets) [53]

Single-use plastics directive: reduction targets for specific items (EU), e.g., cups: 90% separate collection target by 2029; directive framework [54]

EU rules require “substantially separate collection” for textile waste by 2025 (textiles strategy timeline) [1]

EPR: EU textiles strategy calls for extended producer responsibility by 2024 (timeline) [1]

EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD): companies in scope with sustainability reporting from 2024/2025 phase-in (timeline) [2]

CSRD covers about 50,000 companies after full implementation (official estimate) [2]

ISO 14001 adoption: ISO’s stats show 400,000+ certificates globally (2021 figure) [55]

ISO 14064-1 provides requirements for GHG quantification and reporting for organizations (standard) [56]

GRI Standards launched number: GRI “Universal Standards” includes 3—2016 update (structural count) [57]

SBTi has 4 target types (Science Based Targets categories) (approved framework) [58]

EU REACH: registration requirement of substances in quantities of 1 ton per year (official threshold) [59]

EU REACH: substances registered at 10 tonnes per year must include chemical safety assessment (official tonnage triggers) [59]

EU RoHS restricts substances above thresholds; cadmium threshold in homogeneous materials is 0.01% by weight (official) [60]

EU RoHS: lead threshold in homogeneous materials is 0.1% by weight (official) [60]