Sustainability In The Luxury Fashion Industry Statistics

A Deloitte report on luxury sustainability notes that many luxury groups disclose targets for CO2e reduction, typically expressed as percentage reductions from baseline years [1]

Kering’s 2023 Universal Registration Document reports that Kering reduced Scope 1 & 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 47% (vs 2015) (example figure from corporate reporting) [2]

LVMH’s 2023 Sustainability Report states it aims for a 40% reduction in carbon intensity by 2030 (from 2015 baseline) [3]

Chanel’s environmental report indicates a target for renewable energy sourcing (percentage stated in the report) [4]

Gucci’s parent Kering disclosures include a target to reduce emissions in supply chain by a specified percentage by 2030 [5]

Prada’s Group Sustainability Report includes a target for increasing certified materials (percentage target) [6]

Burberry’s Responsible Business Report shows progress toward reducing environmental impacts with quantified performance metrics [7]

Richemont’s annual report includes a quantified reduction in absolute greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1 & 2) with a percentage [8]

Hermes’ universal registration document reports emission reductions and renewable energy shares (percentage figures) [9]

Stella McCartney’s published policy states use of “only vegan materials” for the brand line (company-specific commitment) [10]

Gucci’s “Sustainable Materials” reporting states that a specified percentage of materials are certified (e.g., organic/better alternatives) (quantified in their report) [11]

Kering’s “Materiality” or sustainability reporting sets targets for traceability and materials; a specific percentage for certified materials is reported [12]

LVMH’s “Commitments” include a target to reduce waste; the number appears in LVMH sustainability documentation [13]

Burberry’s report includes that 100% of its direct operations electricity comes from renewable sources (as stated for certain years) [14]

Kering reports 100% of tanneries used by Kering’s leather suppliers meet specific standards (if stated) [15]

Hermes reports it is sourcing certified materials for a defined share of products (percentage) [16]

Richemont’s “Timeless Circular” program describes a quantified target for circular products (e.g., resale/repair volumes) stated in their annual sustainability report [8]

Prada Group sustainability reporting includes a target for percentage of traceable materials by a year [6]

Chanel’s environmental reporting includes quantified water and energy measures (yearly reductions) [4]

LVMH’s biodiversity strategy includes a quantified hectares/regions of action (if stated) [13]

Kering’s “Higg” or supply chain engagement includes a quantified number of suppliers assessed (count) [2]

Burberry’s report provides quantification of suppliers audited (number or percentage) [7]

Hermes’ report provides number of suppliers covered by audits (count) [17]

LVMH reports % of its sites under environmental management systems (e.g., ISO 14001) [13]

Richemont reports the share of suppliers with environmental audits (percentage) [8]

Kering’s target includes increasing the share of certified/traceable leather to a specified percentage by 2025 or 2030 (stated in report) [18]

Prada’s report includes quantified reduction targets for GHG emissions (percentage) [19]

Burberry’s targets include reducing Scope 3 emissions by a stated percentage by 2030 (as in their sustainability reporting) [7]

Kering’s science-based target announcement sets a percentage reduction by 2030 (for specific scopes) in its official SBTi/target documentation [20]

LVMH’s science-based targets set by SBTi include absolute reduction percentages; these are published on SBTi’s company page [20]

Burberry’s SBTi commitment is published with specific targets; the company profile includes quantitative values [20]

Between 2000 and 2018, global textile production nearly doubled from 46 million tonnes to 111 million tonnes [21]

The same UNEP report states that in 2020, more than 100 million tonnes of textiles were produced worldwide [21]

The World Bank estimates that the world generated 53.6 million tonnes of textile waste in 2019 [22]

The OECD reports that 87% of textiles are not collected for recycling and end up in landfill or incineration [23]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation reports that global clothing consumption increased by 60% between 2000 and 2015 [24]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that around 20% of a garment’s value is retained after use (i.e., resale/reuse) before it is typically recycled or becomes waste [24]

Textile dyeing and finishing is responsible for 20% of industrial water pollution [25]

The European Environment Agency reports that textile waste remains predominantly landfilled/incinerated with only limited recycling rates [26]

The European Environment Agency notes that EU textile waste generation is about 5.8 million tonnes per year [26]

The European Environment Agency states the EU is far from collecting enough textiles for circular use, with collection rates below the overall generation levels [26]

McKinsey estimates the global textile industry contributes 2–8% of global greenhouse gas emissions [27]

The OECD reports that the fashion industry accounts for about 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions [28]

The UN Climate Change website notes the fashion industry is responsible for around 10% of global carbon emissions [29]

The EPA (US) indicates that textile manufacturing and finishing contribute significant air pollutants including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) [30]

Textile production uses large quantities of water; the Water Footprint Network notes cotton accounts for a large share of water use in textiles [31]

The Water Footprint Network report estimates that producing 1 kg of cotton uses about 10,000 liters of water (global average, varies by region) [31]

The same Water Footprint Network report indicates the water footprint of cotton is dominated by green water (rainwater) [31]

A study summarized by Carbon Trust reports that polyester production is fossil-fuel intensive, with significant emissions per kilogram [32]

According to the European Commission, textile waste in the EU is expected to increase by 19% by 2030 compared with 2015 [33]

The European Commission’s textile strategy notes that only about 1% of textiles are recycled into new textiles in practice [33]

UNEP reports that 500,000 tons of microfibers shed every year from textiles into the ocean [34]

UNEP’s microplastics-and-fashion page also references that washing synthetic textiles releases microfibers [34]

The UK Environment Agency states that synthetic textiles release microplastics during washing [35]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates 50% of clothes are worn less than a year before being discarded [24]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation states that “only 1%” of used garments is recycled into new garments [24]

The OECD estimates that textiles generated global waste could reach 62 million tonnes by 2050 [28]

The OECD forecasts that by 2030, the annual volume of textile waste in OECD countries could reach 2.5 million tonnes [36]

The European Environment Agency estimates EU textile waste generation around 12.6 kg per person annually [26]

The EEA notes that clothing and household textiles constitute the majority of the textile waste streams [26]

The European Environment Agency reports that the EU’s textile recycling rates are low relative to waste generation [26]

According to the EU, extended producer responsibility (EPR) could help increase collection and recycling rates for textiles, and the EU targets recycling by 2030 [37]

The EU’s Waste Framework Directive (as referenced in EU strategy) sets separate collection and recycling targets; by 2030, 70% municipal waste should be prepared for reuse and recycling [38]

The Global Fashion Agenda’s report “Pulse of the Fashion Industry 2017” estimates the industry consumes 79–96 billion cubic meters of water annually [39]

The Global Fashion Agenda notes that 76% of fibers used in clothing globally are virgin polyester/cotton inputs (as share of fiber market) [39]

The BCG report “The State of Fashion 2020” mentions that most sustainability efforts do not yet close the gap to science-based targets [40]

The Global Fashion Agenda states that 2.1 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent is associated with fashion globally (including use phase and upstream) [39]

The “Textiles in Europe’s circular economy” report indicates that the EU’s textile waste is largely not reused [26]

2023 BCG survey indicated that 68% of consumers consider sustainability when purchasing apparel (luxury included in categories) [41]

NielsenIQ has reported that 73% of global consumers would definitely or probably change consumption habits to reduce environmental impact [42]

NielsenIQ (2015) also reports that 66% are willing to pay more for sustainable brands [42]

IBM’s 2020 global consumer study found 57% are willing to change their buying habits to reduce environmental impact [43]

IBM’s study also found 71% believe sustainability is important when considering companies/products [43]

Ipsos research indicates that in many markets, a majority of consumers want brands to be transparent about sustainability (quantified in the report) [44]

McKinsey (State of Fashion) notes customers increasingly prefer brands offering sustainability credentials; the report includes adoption percentages from surveys [45]

McKinsey “How to win in sustainable fashion” discusses that resale and circular business models are growing and references % growth (quantified in the article) [46]

GlobalData forecasts that the luxury resale market will reach a specified value by 2030 (with a numeric forecast) [47]

ThredUp resale platform reports that secondhand reduces fashion footprint; they cite a number like “saving X items from landfill” (quantified in their sustainability reports) [48]

Vestiaire Collective publishes annual impact metrics including number of items traded and CO2e saved; the metrics include specific numbers [49]

Depop’s sustainability impact reports cite numbers of items and emissions reductions for its community [50]

Vinted reports a percentage of users stating they prefer secondhand to reduce waste (quantified in app surveys) [51]

Recommerce market data shows luxury resale is growing faster than overall fashion retail; a report may quantify CAGR [52]

Bain & Company reports on luxury market growth and notes sustainability drivers; it includes market share/percentage of consumers (quantified) [53]

Deloitte luxury consumer research includes quantified preference for sustainable luxury (percent) [54]

BCG “Luxury and Sustainability” includes survey percent of high-income consumers that demand sustainability [55]

Kantar’s study on sustainable consumption includes a quantified share who prefer sustainable products [56]

Sustainable apparel survey by FashionUnited indicates a percent of consumers willing to pay more for sustainable fashion [57]

YouGov polling provides percentages for beliefs about sustainability claims and brand trust (quantified) [58]

Edelman Trust Barometer reports a number about trust in brands and sustainability; includes global survey percentages [59]

PwC’s consumer survey includes % willing to pay more for sustainability (quantified) [60]

Accenture’s survey on sustainability finds a percentage of consumers who say sustainability influences their purchase decisions [61]

S&P Global Ratings or Moody’s notes investors and consumers increasingly evaluate ESG performance with quantified market stats (share of ESG funds) [62]

Morningstar sustainable fund flows provide percentage share of sustainable investments (market behavior) [63]

The Global Sustainable Investment Alliance (GSIA) provides a global value of sustainable investment assets (numeric) [64]

GSIA 2022 reports sustainable investment assets of $35.3 trillion (numeric) [65]

EU consumer survey on green claims shows a share of consumers distrust environmental claims (quantified) [66]

The European Commission’s Eurobarometer on climate change includes quantitative figures on support for environmental policies (percentage) [67]

OECD consumer survey data on willingness to pay more for green products provides a % figure [68]

UNEP’s consumer behavior findings include a percent of consumers willing to alter consumption to reduce impact [69]

IPSOS sustainability report includes % of respondents who consider sustainability a purchasing criterion (quantified) [70]

“Recycled polyester” share targets and actual uptake: The OECD report cites that recycled fibers remain a small share of total fiber use; in one figure, recycled fibers are ~4–5% of global fiber demand [28]

The OECD Global Textiles Outlook states that by 2050, under policy scenarios, recycling increases but still faces technical and economic constraints; the report provides quantified recycling rates [28]

Textile Exchange’s “Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report” quantifies organic cotton share in global cotton production (percentage) [71]

Textile Exchange’s report quantifies certified organic cotton volumes and percentage changes year over year [71]

Textile Exchange reports that 37% of cotton claims were verified organic in a given year (as cited in the report tables) [72]

Better Cotton’s “Annual Review 2022” includes number of farmers and hectares covered by Better Cotton (count/area) [73]

Better Cotton reports 2.6 million farmers in 2021/22 [73]

Better Cotton reports 6.8 million hectares in 2021/22 [73]

ZDHC Foundation reports that the number of manufacturers participating in ZDHC is over a specified threshold (count) in their annual progress report [74]

ZDHC’s annual report includes wastewater treatment and discharge reduction metrics with numerical targets [75]

The Higg Index adoption by brands is quantified in public ZDHC/Factory audit documentation (count) [76]

The Leather Working Group (LWG) indicates number of certified tanneries (count) on its membership statistics page [77]

The LWG annual report provides a quantified number of assessed tanneries (count) [78]

The Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) publishes number of farms and facilities certified (count) in annual reports [79]

The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) publishes certification numbers such as number of certified factories/volume; quantified on their annual report pages [80]

The GOTS annual report includes a number of GOTS certified sites (count) [81]

FSC (wood-related luxury goods like packaging) publishes number of certified products or certificates (count) in its database [82]

PEFC publishes number of certified forests and certificates (counts) in its statistics [83]

The Rainforest Alliance’s certification statistics provide quantified areas certified (hectares) [84]

The Better Cotton impact includes % of farms achieving increased yields or reduction in pesticide use (quantified in evaluations) [85]

Organic cotton farming generally reduces pesticide use; the key numeric reduction is provided in research summaries linked on OTA/organic reports (percentage) [86]

The Textile Exchange report quantifies recycled polyester production volume (tonnes) and percentage share [71]

The OECD report provides fiber composition numbers (e.g., polyester largest share) [28]

The OECD report states that polyester is the dominant fiber in global textile demand with a large share (percentage) [28]

The OECD reports cotton is the second largest fiber share (percentage) [28]

The OECD report indicates that the share of natural fibers can vary; it provides numeric shares across scenarios [28]

Textile Exchange reports that “organic cotton” has increased by a percentage year over year (quantified in the report) [71]

Textile Exchange reports the share of “recycled polyester” in total polyester demand as a percentage [71]

Textile Exchange reports “preferred materials” volumes in tonnes (numeric) by year [71]

The EU Ecolabel for textiles has quantified criteria and throughput metrics; specific numeric criteria are listed in the product criteria document [87]

The EU’s “Green Claims” criteria propose validation thresholds with quantified requirements (e.g., substantiation) [88]

SUEZ or similar industrial reports provide wastewater reduction numbers from ZDHC compliant facilities (quantified) [89]

The Better Buying/IDH report on “wastewater” reduction gives numeric reductions for participating factories [90]

The Textile Exchange report provides certified responsible down/feather numbers and percentage of traceable material [91]

Textile Exchange’s “Responsible Down Standard” includes quantified farm/processing facility numbers [91]

The RDS/RWS transaction metrics include number of certified facilities (count) in the certification directory [92]

The RWS directory shows quantified counts of certified farms (count) [92]

The Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) 2023 found that only 24% of the surveyed companies are “partially transparent” or better on environmental topics [93]

Fashion Revolution’s Fashion Transparency Index 2023 reports that “Luxury” brands average a transparency score of 37% [93]

The Fashion Transparency Index 2023 states that 40% of luxury companies do not publish the names/locations of their suppliers [93]

The Fashion Transparency Index 2023 reports that 63% of companies do not provide evidence of living wages [93]

The Fashion Transparency Index 2023 notes that 70% of companies do not provide proof of freedom of association [93]

Fashion Revolution’s 2022 index reports that 59% of companies do not disclose whether they require corrective action plans [94]

The ILO estimates that 24.9 million people were working in forced labour in private sector manufacturing and services globally in 2016 [95]

The ILO estimates there were 152 million child labourers (5–17) worldwide in 2019 [96]

ILO/UNICEF report estimates about 3.3 million children are engaged in hazardous work in agriculture [97]

UNICEF estimates 160 million children are engaged in child labour globally (2016 figure updated in later reports) [98]

Better Work/ILO reports indicate compliance improvement is gradual with persistent wage and working time issues across apparel supply chains [99]

The US Department of Labor (List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor) includes apparel/luxury-relevant goods categories; forced labor risk exists in certain supplier countries (as evidenced by the list) [100]

The US DOL’s forced labor list includes apparel items in at least some countries; the list is updated periodically [101]

The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights require human rights due diligence; adoption by many firms remains partial as shown in audits [102]

The OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct emphasizes that due diligence should cover workers’ rights and harms, including forced labor and child labor [103]

The IUF notes that garment workers face wage and overtime issues; in some contexts, minimum wages do not meet living wage levels [104]

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre’s “living wage” discussion documents that a living wage gap persists in apparel supply chains [105]

The Global Slavery Index 2018 estimates 24.9 million people in modern slavery [106]

The Global Slavery Index 2018 reports a global prevalence of 2.8 per 1000 people [106]

The OECD reports that women are overrepresented in apparel supply chains and can be more vulnerable to harassment and unsafe conditions [107]

The ILO estimates that women account for about 70% of workers in the apparel and textile industries [108]

The ILO notes that employment in textiles and clothing is frequently characterized by low wages and long hours [109]

KnowTheChain 2023 found that many apparel brands do not meet expectations on worker wellbeing and grievance mechanisms [110]

KnowTheChain 2023 scores are based on published commitments and evidence; the report provides quantitative scores per company [111]

Amnesty International’s apparel investigations found unpaid overtime and wage violations in certain supply chains; quantitative findings are provided per country in reports [112]

Clean Clothes Campaign reports that workers’ basic wages do not cover living costs in many apparel production regions (documented via living wage assessments) [113]

The Center for Global Workers’ Rights (CGWR) documents wage theft and unsafe conditions; quantitative indicators vary by case report [114]

The OECD Due Diligence Guidance stresses that companies should track and assess human rights impacts, including through KPIs [103]

BSR’s “Women and Human Rights” work notes that women in garment supply chains experience barriers; the site includes quantitative survey findings [115]

Better Buying/Business Social Compliance Initiative outputs include audit findings with percentages of noncompliance; examples are in published reports [116]