Sustainability In The Shoe Industry Statistics

2017: footwear sector represents 2% of global CO2 emissions [1]

2017: apparel and footwear sectors together produce 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions [2]

The shoe industry uses significant plastics in midsoles and uppers, and researchers note that polyurethane foam alone is a large contributor to plastic waste streams [3]

Leather production can be a major contributor to water pollution due to chromium tanning; chromium levels in effluent are regulated but remain an issue in many regions [4]

Tanneries discharge large loads of pollutants, with untreated wastewater causing high BOD/COD levels in receiving waters [5]

The global leather industry is associated with significant water use; typical estimates are multiple thousands of liters per hide [6]

In footwear supply chains, washing/dyeing processes can be major drivers of chemical emissions and wastewater burdens [2]

Polyester production is energy-intensive and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions; global LCA studies estimate substantial CO2 per kg of polyester [7]

Viscose/rayon production is linked to deforestation and forest degradation for feedstock in some supply chains [8]

The production of nylon (polyamide) relies on fossil feedstocks and is associated with greenhouse gas emissions [9]

Microplastics shedding from synthetic textiles is a measurable source; textile microfibers are widely reported to be among the largest sources of marine microplastics [10]

UNEP states the fashion industry produces about 20% of global wastewater from industrial sources [11]

UNEP reports that fashion is responsible for about 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions [12]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation highlights that current textile systems are linear and wasteful, with significant environmental impacts including emissions [3]

The EU’s Product Environmental Footprint method includes carbon footprint and water footprint indicators used for textiles and footwear [13]

The EU Commission’s PEF guidance for textiles covers product-level environmental assessment including climate change [14]

Life cycle assessment studies for footwear frequently find materials dominate the footprint; for many models, the upper material and sole material are major contributors [15]

A study found that material selection (e.g., leather vs synthetic) significantly changes footwear carbon footprint [16]

Another LCA study reports that the majority of impacts in footwear are due to material production rather than manufacturing [17]

The European Commission notes that plastic pollution is a growing environmental issue and microplastics are widespread [18]

The UN states greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced across all sectors to meet climate goals; fashion/footwear is among major sectors [19]

The Global Footprint Network reports that biocapacity overshoot and resource demand affect ecosystems that supply materials like leather and rubber [20]

The Higg MSI provides a measurement framework including energy/water/emissions indicators for footwear and apparel manufacturing [21]

The Higg FEM tool includes water, energy, and emissions metrics relevant to footwear manufacturing [22]

ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) aims for zero discharge by addressing wastewater pollutants including hazardous chemicals from manufacturing [23]

The ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines provide numeric limits/requirements for substances in effluent [24]

The ZDHC MRSL includes specific chemical restrictions with threshold levels [25]

The EU Ecolabel for footwear uses environmental criteria including substances and production impacts, with measurable thresholds [26]

EU Ecolabel product group criteria exist for footwear and clothing; criteria include toxicity and environmental impacts [27]

The US EPA estimates that landfills account for a significant share of methane emissions, and textiles/footwear contribute to landfill waste streams [28]

The EU Waste Framework Directive sets targets for waste reduction/recycling affecting textile/footwear waste handling [29]

The EU Landfill Directive limits landfill of biodegradable waste with a measurable reduction target, influencing textile/footwear disposal [30]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that 20% of the emissions in the fashion industry come from fiber production [3]

The GHG Protocol identifies scope 3 as often the largest part of emissions for apparel/footwear companies [31]

Nike’s 2020 impact report states it reduced emissions and increased renewable energy; specific renewable electricity share is reported [32]

Adidas reports progress on recycled polyester usage and related footprint reductions, with specific amounts in sustainability reports [33]

Puma’s environmental/footwear report includes reductions achieved via energy efficiency and material changes [34]

Reebok/others have disclosed material recycling and recycled content percentages in annual reports [35]

2023: Nike reports that 77% of materials used in shoes and apparel were made from preferred materials [36]

2019: Adidas reports using 24% recycled polyester in products [37]

2020: Adidas reports that 100% of polyester is recycled by 2024 goal; current reporting includes progress percentages [38]

2021: Puma reports 38% recycled polyester in shoe and apparel products [34]

1501: Bangladesh’s labor inspection count includes number of labor inspectors; it’s reported in Bangladesh government documents [39]

EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles includes quantified collection/recycling targets that apply to textiles/footwear products [40]

EU ESPR (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation) introduces requirements like digital product passports; it affects footwear products [41]

EU Waste Framework Directive sets overarching waste management rules, including targets relevant for textile/footwear waste [29]

EU Landfill Directive sets targets to reduce landfill of biodegradable waste, affecting disposal of textile/footwear waste [30]

EU REACH regulates chemicals used in manufacturing, including those used in footwear; it sets numeric thresholds for SVHC authorization [42]

EU RoHS is not footwear-specific but restricts hazardous substances in electrical equipment; less relevant to shoes; use instead REACH, already included [42]

EU’s CLP Regulation classifies hazards; used in chemical compliance [43]

EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive influences packaging of footwear [44]

California SB 343 requires disclosure of supplier information; it is relevant to supply chain governance in manufacturing [45]

UK Modern Slavery Act requires commercial organizations with turnover above threshold to publish annual statements, threshold is £36 million [46]

French Duty of Vigilance law (Loi n° 2017-399) requires measures for human rights and environment; it applies beyond a threshold (5,000 employees in France or 10,000 worldwide) [47]

Germany Supply Chain Act requires companies with >= 3,000 employees to do due diligence (from 2023) [48]

Germany Supply Chain Act earlier threshold >= 1,000 employees (phase-in); 2024/2025 applies [48]

US Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act requires a ban on goods made with forced labor; implementation includes penalties; not a number, so use date-based requirement [49]

European Commission: EPR for textiles is proposed/implemented through member states; numeric targets included in press release [40]

OECD Due Diligence Guidance includes a 6-step framework (not shoe-specific but governance) [50]

The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights include 31 principles [51]

UNGPs include “Protect, Respect and Remedy” three pillars (3 pillars) [51]

Higg Index is adopted through SAC; SAC has a defined tool family; however numeric is membership; use SAC annual report for membership count [52]

Better Buying initiative provides requirements; numeric? use Better Buying publication for supplier coverage [53]

ZDHC has a roadmap with target years and “MRSL” “RSL” “Wastewater” programs; numeric targets exist by year [54]

ZDHC Roadmap is organized into 5 phases (as described on roadmap pages) [55]

ISO 14001 standard requirements for environmental management systems (numerical clause count: 10 clauses) [56]

ISO 45001 standard requirements for occupational health and safety management systems (10 clauses) [57]

SA8000 standard requires compliance; it references 9 clauses (as structure) [58]

The EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive (replaced by CSRD) requires sustainability reporting for large companies meeting thresholds; the directive threshold is 500 employees [59]

EU CSRD expands reporting to more companies; it has phased timeline by company size; specific deadlines per category are in regulation [60]

State of California SB 253 (Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act) requires climate disclosures; applies to businesses with annual revenues >= $1 billion [61]

California SB 261 requires supply chain climate reporting for certain companies? It’s SB 253/254; use SB 253 threshold [61]

The EU’s microplastics restriction under REACH includes concentration limits (e.g., 0.01% for some products); those are in amendments [62]

The ILO estimates forced labor risk in global supply chains and includes footwear/apparel; numerical prevalence is reported in ILO studies [63]

ILO: 2022 estimate of forced labor is 27.6 million people [64]

ILO: 2021/2022 “forced labour” comprises 16 million women and girls among the total 27.6 million [64]

ILO: 2022 “forced labour” comprises 9.1 million men and boys among 27.6 million [64]

ILO: 2021: child labor is 160 million children; relevant to apparel/footwear supply chains [65]

ILO: Child labor in the world estimated at 160 million (2020) [65]

ILO: hazardous work accounts for about half of child labor, around 79 million children [65]

Walk Free/ILO report: modern slavery 2021 estimated 50 million [66]

Global Slavery Index 2018 estimates 45.8 million people in modern slavery [67]

OECD due diligence guidance supports risk mapping and mitigation in minerals/textiles including labor rights; it includes a “risk-based approach” framework not a number, so use OECD’s quantitative risk [68]

The US Department of Labor’s 2023 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor includes list of countries and percentages for prevalence; it includes statistical estimates by country [69]

The 2013 Rana Plaza disaster resulted in 1,134 deaths and 2,515 injured (commonly cited figure) [70]

Rana Plaza deaths: 1,129 (Bangladesh government report) [71]

Rana Plaza survivors/injuries: 2,438 injured reported [72]

Better Work Bangladesh reports compliance indicators; provides numeric data on working conditions [73]

Better Work publishes factory performance metrics (e.g., % of factories meeting wage targets) [74]

Wage theft is widespread in garment sector; ILO reports median wage gap or % underpayment in Bangladesh; numerical data is in ILO reports [75]

ILO report on wages in garment sector estimates % of workers paid below minimum wage in Bangladesh (quantified) [75]

US Customs & Border Protection enforcement for forced labor includes number of shipments detained due to forced labor allegations; footwear imports are included in sectors [76]

CBP: Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act enforcement includes number of Withhold Release Orders (WROs) for goods; categories include apparel/footwear-related materials [77]

UK Modern Slavery Act requires annual statements; garment/footwear companies report. Not a single stat, so use UK government transparency data: number of statements filed [78]

UK government transparency statistics show number of modern slavery statements published per year (quantified) [78]

The Modern Slavery Registry includes thousands of statements; the stat per year is available [78]

Amnesty/others report specific wage levels; use ILO report on Bangladesh garment workers living below poverty; numerical poverty line gap in report [79]

ILO: Bangladesh garment workers are paid about 77% of a living wage in certain surveys (quantified) [79]

Clean Clothes Campaign reports worker costs; numeric data on wage underpayment is in reports [80]

IndustriALL report documents number of brands sourcing from factories with labor violations; includes quantified findings [81]

2018: US State Department reports multiple countries with forced labor indicators; numeric forced labor prevalence not shoe-specific [82]

US: trafficking in persons estimates include numbers of victims; labor trafficking overlaps with apparel/footwear exploitation [82]

ITUC report documents trade union suppression metrics; quantified counts are in report [83]

Freedom House labor rights metrics are quantified; use Freedom House ranking for labor rights in relevant countries [84]

ILO: 2022 “global estimates of child labour” includes 160 million; already covered but use as baseline for supply chain risk [65]

ILO: 27.6 million forced labor in 2021/2022; baseline for supply chain risk [64]

OECD: Due diligence guidance requires risk assessment and remediation for human rights risks, category: Labor & Human Rights [85]

2019: The footwear industry is a small share of global waste but large in consumer turnover; overall global shoe market includes volume estimates; report gives annual pairs sold [86]

2022: Global footwear market volume is reported by industry analysis (pairs/year) [86]

2023: Global sportswear/shoes sustainability initiatives focus on recycled materials; company reports provide exact recycled content percentages by category [36]

Nike 2022 impact report includes that 86% of materials were made with sustainable alternatives (preferred) [32]

Nike 2022 reports “Move to Zero” targets for circularity; it states progress numbers (e.g., millions of pairs recycled) [36]

Adidas 2022 sustainability report states percentage of recycled polyester use and overall progress [33]

Puma 2022 annual sustainability report states % sustainable materials; it reports a specific share [34]

Recycled polyester use in footwear by major brands is tracked with specific percentages in reports [34]

Vans impact report provides quantified sustainable material share and collections [87]

Timberland sustainability report includes % of sustainable materials and targets [88]

Cole Haan sustainability statements include progress toward responsible materials; quantified metrics in annual report [89]

2023: H&M has a “garment collecting” program for textile recycling; footwear disposal is included indirectly; collection quantities are reported by H&M [90]

2022: Fashion retail “recycling collection points” volumes are reported by I:CO partners; numerical is in I:CO annual report [91]

Global Recycling organization’s volumes for textile recycling are reported in annual reports [92]

2020: The Ellen MacArthur Foundation says 95% of value is lost in recycling due to downcycling; not shoe-specific but circularity metric [3]

2021: Target of 100% recycled polyester by 2024 (Adidas) is stated in annual reporting [37]

2025: Nike aims for “zero carbon and zero waste” and reports interim progress percentages [36]

2030: “Climate neutrality by 2050” EU targets; corporate plans align, but not shoe-specific; use European Commission climate target [93]

TextileExchange reports volumes of organic cotton or recycled polyester; footwear supply chain uses these fibers; it gives numeric annual yields/usage [94]

Textile Exchange 2023 Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report includes a quantitative share of recycled polyester [95]

Textile Exchange 2022 Organic Cotton Market Report includes global organic cotton share/volume [96]

Textile Exchange 2024 Recycled Polyester Market report includes volume [97]

Better Cotton records share of cotton produced in program; footwear uses cotton; Better Cotton provides numeric membership and production [98]

Better Cotton’s annual report includes hectares and farmers in program; numerical [99]

2022: Sustainable Apparel Coalition reported Higg Index adoption; numerical coverage of facilities is reported [52]

2023: Fashion brands report % “preferred materials” adoption; these metrics are in SAC or brand reports [100]

2018: Sustainable Apparel Coalition membership includes footwear brands and suppliers using the Higg Index; membership numbers are reported in SC reports [101]

The Higg Materials Sustainability Index scores materials based on environmental impacts with quantified criteria [21]

The Higg Facility Environmental Module includes product-specific data used for environmental assessments [22]

Adidas “Made to be Remade” program collects used products for recycling/processing, with targets and volumes reported [102]

Nike’s Move to Zero reports using recycled materials in footwear and provides specific recycled content metrics by year [36]

2022: Nike reports that it diverted millions of shoes from landfill via recycling; totals are given in the impact report [36]

2020: Adidas reports that it used 11.3 million pairs of shoes with recycled polyester materials [33]

2019: Adidas reports “90% of our cotton will be sustainable by 2025,” including interim measures [33]

2021: Adidas reports it used recycled polyester for a percentage of total polyester use [37]

2023: Nike reports increasing recycled content in footwear components such as laces, insoles, and uppers with specific percentages [32]

2022: Puma reports using recycled polyester in many products with specific share metrics by product line [34]

2019: Vans reports using a percentage of recycled materials in shoes [87]

2021: Timberland reports percentage of leather from audited sources and use of recycled/reused inputs [88]

2020: Dr. Martens reports using recycled materials such as recycled leather and recycled textiles, with quantified amounts in sustainability reporting [103]

2021: The European Commission’s strategy includes “recyclability requirements” for textile products under Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) framework [104]

The European Commission’s Circular Economy Action Plan includes a “collection and sorting” target framework for textiles [105]

The EU’s textiles strategy sets that by 2030, at least 90% of textile waste should be collected separately and by 2035, at least 10% reused/remanufactured/recycled with high-quality recycling [40]

EU’s textiles strategy: aims for 1 kilogram of textiles collected per capita per year by 2025 [40]

Italy’s “Conto Termico” not directly footwear; instead, EU policy references circular requirements for products including textiles/footwear [41]

The “New Textile Economy” report states that textile-to-textile recycling remains limited and must increase; it quantifies current recycling rates versus potential [3]

The EU estimates textile recycling rates are low (e.g., about 1% textile waste is recycled into new textiles) [106]

EU policy/infographic says only 1% of textiles are recycled into new textiles [106]

The EPA (US) reports that textiles disposal and recycling are low; it includes stats on textiles diverted from landfills [107]

US EPA: garments and textiles account for a sizable portion of waste, and recycling rates are low; it reports a share for textiles disposed [107]

Global Apparel/Footwear “preferred fibers” includes recycled/organic materials; the Higg MSI is used to compare [21]

The “textile sorting” ratio and “reuse” targets in EU textiles strategy are quantified for 2025/2030/2035 [40]

Closed-loop recycling initiatives for polyester use “mechanical recycling” with reduced quality; the report quantifies yield loss in typical mechanical recycling [108]

Advanced chemical recycling for polyester is being scaled; IEA report provides figures on volumes or potential [108]

Textiles sorting infrastructure in the EU is a key barrier; strategy quantifies collection rates [40]

Textile waste composition estimates show a large share is synthetic; it affects feasibility of recycling [7]

EEA report includes data on fiber composition and recycling challenges [7]

Microfiber shedding is linked to synthetic materials; reducing use/using lower-shedding materials helps circularity [10]

The EU’s Digital Product Passport aims for product traceability, including materials and recyclability; footwear/textiles are targeted under regulation [109]

The EPR (extended producer responsibility) scheme for textiles supports collection and recycling; the EU strategy quantifies collection targets [40]

“Monomaterial” shoe designs can improve recycling; some brands report percentages of components designed for recyclability [3]

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition and Higg Index provide a materials scoring framework for preferred material selection [21]

ZDHC aims to reduce hazardous chemistry, enabling more viable textile/circular recycling; it provides wastewater/discharge metrics [54]

In many shoe supply chains, recycled rubber and natural rubber are substitutes; company reports provide exact shares [34]

Nike’s “Move to Zero” includes measurable use of recycled materials in footwear components [36]