Sustainable Fashion Statistics

Less than 1% of material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing [1]

More than $500 billion of value is lost every year due to clothing underutilization and lack of recycling [2]

Less than 1% of clothing material is recycled into clothing [2]

Less than 1% of all textiles worldwide are recycled into new products [3]

Only 22% of post-consumer textile waste was collected separately for reuse or recycling in 2020 in the EU [4]

In 2020, only 22% of post-consumer textile waste was separately collected for re-use or recycling [5]

Fewer than 1% of all textiles worldwide are recycled into new products [5]

Less than 1% of clothing is recycled back into clothing [6]

Recycled polyester represented 14.8% of global polyester production in 2021 [7]

Less than 1% of the global fiber market came from pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles in 2021 [7]

Only 8.5% of all polyester raw material was from recycled sources in 2020 [8]

Recycled nylon represented 1.3% of total nylon production in 2021 [7]

The global secondhand apparel market grew 28% in 2022 [9]

The global secondhand apparel market is expected to reach $350 billion by 2027 [9]

Resale is expected to grow 9 times faster than the broader retail clothing sector by 2027 [9]

52% of consumers shopped secondhand apparel in 2022 [9]

83% of retail executives say their customers are already participating in resale [9]

The recycling rate for textiles in the US was 14.7% in 2018 [10]

2.5 million tons of textiles were recycled in the US in 2018 [10]

Less than 1% of material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing after use [11]

Circular business models could reduce the fashion industry’s emissions by 143 million tonnes by 2030 [12]

Material mix change could reduce fashion emissions by 80 million tonnes by 2030 [12]

Extending active life of clothing by 9 months can reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by around 20-30% each [13]

Around 650,000 tonnes of used clothing are collected annually in the UK for reuse and recycling [13]

Recycled polyester accounted for 14.7% of total polyester production in 2020 [8]

Extending the life of clothes by an extra 9 months of active use could reduce the carbon, water and waste footprints by 20-30% [14]

Buying one used item of clothing saves 1 kg of waste, 3,040 liters of water and 22 kg of CO2 compared with buying new [15]

If every adult in the UK bought half of their next wardrobe second-hand instead of new, it would prevent 12.5 billion kg of carbon emissions [15]

Clothing production approximately doubled between 2000 and 2015 [2]

The average number of times a garment is worn before it ceases to be used has decreased by 36% compared to 15 years ago [2]

In 2020, EU textile consumption required 391 square metres of land per person [16]

In 2020, EU textile consumption used 9 cubic metres of raw materials per person [16]

In 2020, the average EU citizen bought 19 kg of textiles [16]

Between 1996 and 2018, the amount of clothing bought in the EU increased by 40% [17]

Textile production in the EU in 2017 required 400 square metres of land per person [3]

Europeans consumed nearly 26 kg of textiles and discarded about 11 kg in 2020 [4]

Europeans consumed 26 kg and threw away about 11 kg of textiles per person in 2020 [5]

The global textile market generated $1.5 trillion in revenue in 2022 [18]

The global apparel market is expected to generate $1.7 trillion in revenue in 2023 [18]

Global apparel production doubled from 2000 to 2014 [6]

Garment utilization declined by 36% over the last 15 years [6]

More than 100 billion garments are produced annually [6]

More than 60% of fabric fibers are now synthetics [6]

By 2030, synthetic clothes are expected to use 35% more oil than in 2015 [19]

Global fiber production reached a record 113 million tonnes in 2021 [7]

Polyester accounted for 54% of global fiber production in 2021 [7]

Virgin fossil-based synthetic fibers made up 62% of global fiber production in 2021 [7]

Cotton represented 22% of global fiber production in 2021 [7]

MMCFs accounted for 6% of global fiber production in 2021 [7]

Nylon accounted for 5% of global fiber production in 2021 [7]

In the UK, clothing purchases increased by nearly 200,000 tonnes between 2012 and 2016 [13]

UK citizens buy more clothes per person than any other country in Europe [13]

The average lifespan of a garment has fallen by 35% compared with 15 years ago [20]

In 2018, 69% of surveyed consumers considered the use of sustainable materials to be an important purchasing factor [21]

67% of consumers consider the use of sustainable materials to be an important purchasing factor [21]

63% of surveyed consumers said a brand’s promotion of sustainability influenced their purchasing decisions [21]

66% of global consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable goods [22]

73% of global millennials are willing to pay extra for sustainable offerings [22]

The fashion industry is responsible for 2-8% of global carbon emissions [1]

Textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined [23]

The textile industry emits 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases annually [23]

The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions [24]

In 2020, EU textile consumption generated 270 kg of CO2 emissions per person [16]

Textile production in the EU in 2017 caused about 654 kg of CO2 emissions per person [3]

Textiles account for approximately 10% of global carbon emissions [5]

About two-thirds of a garment’s total greenhouse gas footprint occurs upstream in textile production [25]

The fashion industry was responsible for 2.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse-gas emissions in 2018 [25]

The fashion industry accounts for 4% of global greenhouse-gas emissions [25]

To align with the 1.5-degree pathway, the fashion industry must reduce emissions by 1.1 billion tons by 2030 [25]

Polyester production for textiles emitted 706 billion kg of GHG in 2015 [19]

Polyester has a higher climate impact than cotton and other natural fibers per kg produced [19]

By 2050 the fashion industry could use more than 25% of the world’s carbon budget [26]

If the fashion sector continues on its current path, its greenhouse gas emissions will surge more than 50% by 2030 [27]

The fashion industry was on track to emit around 2.7 billion tons of CO2e annually by 2030 [27]

More than 70% of fashion’s emissions come from upstream activities [27]

The textiles value chain contributes 6-8% of global greenhouse gas emissions [11]

The fashion industry could use more than 26% of the global carbon budget associated with a 2-degree pathway by 2050 [11]

The global fashion industry emits about 2.1 billion metric tons of GHG emissions annually [11]

Around 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions are linked to the textile and apparel sector [28]

The apparel and footwear industry generated 8.1% of global climate impacts in 2019 [12]

Apparel and footwear produced 3.4 billion tonnes CO2e in 2019 [12]

Raw material production accounted for 38% of apparel and footwear emissions in 2019 [12]

Processing, including preparation, dyeing and finishing, accounted for 36% of apparel and footwear emissions in 2019 [12]

Scaling renewable electricity in tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers could reduce emissions by 347 million tonnes by 2030 [12]

The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions [29]

The fashion industry uses more energy than the aviation and shipping industry combined [29]

The carbon footprint of clothing in active use in the UK is around 26.2 million tonnes CO2e [13]

In 2017, textiles represented the fifth largest pressure on greenhouse gas emissions from EU household consumption [17]

Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned [1]

Around 500,000 tons of microfibers from washing clothes enter the ocean each year [24]

An estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste is created each year [24]

The equivalent of one rubbish truck full of clothes ends up in landfill every second [2]

Washing clothes made from synthetic materials accounts for 35% of primary microplastics released into the environment [2]

About 5.8 million tonnes of textiles are discarded every year in the EU [16]

This amounts to around 11 kg of textiles discarded per person in the EU each year [16]

Europeans discard about 5.8 million tonnes of textiles every year [3]

Synthetic textiles account for about 35% of primary microplastics released into the environment [4]

About 87% of the total fiber input used for clothing is ultimately incinerated or sent to landfill [6]

In 2015, 5.8 million tonnes of synthetic microfibres were released into the environment from apparel washing [19]

The average American throws away 81.5 pounds of clothes each year [30]

In 2018, 17 million tons of textile municipal solid waste were generated in the United States [10]

Textiles accounted for 5.8% of total municipal solid waste generation in the US in 2018 [10]

11.3 million tons of textiles were landfilled in the US in 2018 [10]

Combustion with energy recovery accounted for 2.5 million tons of textiles in the US in 2018 [10]

In 2018, landfilling of textiles in the US represented 7.7% of all landfilled MSW [10]

More than 80% of all textile products in the US are discarded [31]

Microfibers from synthetic fabrics make up 85% of human-made material found on shorelines worldwide [31]

It can take more than 200 years for polyester clothing to decompose [31]

73% of the clothes produced globally are incinerated or sent to landfill [11]

The equivalent of one garbage truck full of textiles is landfilled or burned every second [28]

End-of-life accounted for 3% of apparel and footwear emissions in 2019 [12]

Half a million tons of microfibers are released into the ocean every year during washing of plastic-based textiles [29]

Global consumers miss out on $460 billion of value each year by throwing away clothes they could continue to wear [20]

Each second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned [20]

Around 300,000 tonnes of clothing are discarded in household bins in the UK every year [13]

Around 1 million tonnes of clothing are disposed of annually in the UK supply chain and by consumers [13]

Around 350,000 tonnes of used clothing go to landfill in the UK every year [13]

87% of total fiber input used for clothing is lost to landfill or incineration [20]

The fashion industry consumes about 215 trillion liters of water per year [1]

It takes about 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton T-shirt [32]

It takes approximately 7,500 liters of water to make one pair of jeans [32]

20% of global industrial wastewater pollution comes from textile treatment and dyeing [29]

The fashion industry uses around 93 billion cubic meters of water annually [24]

The textiles sector was responsible for the third highest pressure on water and land use from a consumption perspective in the EU [16]

In 2020, EU consumption of textiles required 4.0 cubic metres of water per person [16]

Textile production in the EU in 2017 required about 9 cubic metres of water per person [3]

Around 20% of global clean water pollution from dyeing and finishing of textile products [5]

The production of textiles is estimated to be responsible for about 20% of global clean water pollution [5]

Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of water globally [31]

The fashion industry is the second largest consumer industry of water [33]

It takes 3,781 liters of water to make one pair of jeans [33]

It takes about 2,700 liters of water to produce one cotton shirt [33]

The textile industry uses 79 trillion liters of water per year [28]

Textile dyeing and treatment contribute around 20% of the world’s industrial water pollution [29]

Producing one cotton shirt requires 2,700 liters of water [29]

Producing one pair of jeans requires 7,500 liters of water [29]

The water footprint of clothing in active use in the UK is around 8 billion cubic metres [13]

In 2017, textiles represented the fourth largest pressure on the use of primary raw materials and water from EU household consumption [17]

The fashion industry creates 20% of global wastewater [20]