Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions
85% of textiles go to the dump each year
The average consumer buys 60% more clothing now than 15 years ago, but each item is kept half as long
Producing one cotton shirt requires 2,700 liters of water
The fashion industry uses 93 billion cubic meters of water annually
Only 1% of clothing is recycled into new garments
Washing clothes releases 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean each year, equivalent to 50 billion plastic bottles
The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothing annually
The fashion industry is projected to increase emissions by over 60% by 2030 if no action is taken
20% of global wastewater is produced by the fashion industry
Approximately one garbage truck full of textiles is burned or landfilled every second
Synthetic fibers, such as polyester, make up 60% of clothing and never biodegrade
The fashion industry emits more carbon than international flights and maritime shipping combined
Consumer Behavior
- The average consumer buys 60% more clothing now than 15 years ago, but each item is kept half as long
- The average garment is worn only 7–10 times before being discarded
- The global secondhand apparel market is expected to reach $218 billion by 2026
- Millennial and Gen Z consumers are 3x more likely to buy from sustainable brands
- 38% of consumers say they have switched brands due to environmental concerns
- The resale market is growing 11 times faster than traditional retail
- On average, 40% of clothes in our wardrobes are never worn
- The average Fast Fashion shopper buys new clothes every 5 weeks
- Americans spend more than $1,800 per year on clothes
- Sustainable fashion could generate $192 billion in economic benefits by 2030
- 72% of global consumers want brands to use sustainable packaging
- Consumer use and washing account for 35% of a garment’s climate impact
- The global fashion resale market is expected to grow to $350 billion by 2030
- 77% of consumers say sustainability is an important factor when choosing clothes
Interpretation
As fast fashion spins ever faster—churning out cheap threads worn less, tossed more, and piling up unused while savvy shoppers pivot to sustainability—it's clear the wardrobe of the future isn't just about style, but about substance, stewardship, and secondhand smarts.
Environmental Impact
- The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions
- Washing clothes releases 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean each year, equivalent to 50 billion plastic bottles
- The fashion industry is projected to increase emissions by over 60% by 2030 if no action is taken
- 20% of global wastewater is produced by the fashion industry
- Synthetic fibers, such as polyester, make up 60% of clothing and never biodegrade
- The fashion industry emits more carbon than international flights and maritime shipping combined
- Polyester production emits 2–3 times more carbon than cotton
- 35% of ocean microplastics come from synthetic textiles
- Recycling one ton of textiles can save up to 20 tons of CO2
- Up to 20,000 chemicals are associated with textile dyeing
- A cotton T-shirt’s lifecycle emits 4.3 kg of CO2e
- Cotton production uses 16% of all insecticides and 6% of all pesticides globally
- Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water globally
- If the fashion industry continues on its current path, by 2050 it could use more than 26% of the carbon budget for a 2°C world
- Rewearing clothes just 9 more times can reduce their carbon, water, and waste footprints by 30%
- Circular fashion could help reduce fashion emissions by 39%
- Leather production results in over 250 toxic substances being used
- The footwear industry alone emits 700 million metric tons of CO2 annually
- Renting clothing can reduce fashion's emissions by 67%
- Vegan leather emits 24 times less CO2 than animal-derived leather
- 77% of fashion executives see sustainability as crucial for industry survival
- A single wash of synthetic clothing can release up to 700,000 microfibers
- Converting to organic cotton can reduce global warming potential by 46%
- 52% of fashion brands plan to invest in circular economy strategies
- Digital fashion reduces environmental impact by over 90% compared to physical production
- Brands using recycled materials can cut carbon emissions by 30% per garment
- The carbon footprint of a cotton T-shirt is 15 times its weight in emissions
- 20% of fashion brands used sustainable cotton in 2020
- 90% of rayon production originates from endangered forest logging
- Fast fashion production has increased by 400% in the last 20 years
- Online clothing returns generate 15 million metric tons in CO2 each year
- 70% of global fashion comes from factories using coal-powered energy
Interpretation
The fashion industry may clothe the world, but with its staggering carbon emissions, toxic chemicals, and ocean-choking microplastics, it's dressing humanity in a ticking environmental time bomb — unless we choose sustainability over style at all costs.
Labor and Manufacturing Practices
- Fast fashion brands can launch new collections in as little as two weeks
- 9 out of 10 workers in the global fashion industry are paid below a living wage
- 43% of fashion companies don’t disclose supply chain information
- China leads global apparel production at over 40% of exports
- 93% of fashion companies do not pay their workers a living wage
- Sustainable fashion has the potential to create 18 million jobs by 2030
Interpretation
While fast fashion races to stock shelves every two weeks, the industry leaves transparency, fair wages, and sustainability in the dust—though a more ethical runway could generate 18 million jobs if we choose to change course.
Resource Consumption
- Producing one cotton shirt requires 2,700 liters of water
- The fashion industry uses 93 billion cubic meters of water annually
- Clothing production doubled between 2000 and 2014
- It takes 7,500 liters of water to produce a pair of jeans
- 70 million barrels of oil are used each year to produce polyester
- 2 billion pairs of jeans are produced each year
- The EU textile industry is the fourth highest pressure category for resource use
- More than 150 million trees are logged each year for fashion fabrics like rayon
- Over 50% of all textiles in the world are made of polyester
- 80 billion garments are produced each year
- The fashion industry’s water consumption will increase by 50% by 2030 without intervention
Interpretation
Fashion may be fleeting, but its thirst is eternal—costing us forests, fossil fuels, and more water than the planet can afford to wear.
Waste and Landfills
- 85% of textiles go to the dump each year
- Only 1% of clothing is recycled into new garments
- The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothing annually
- Approximately one garbage truck full of textiles is burned or landfilled every second
- 92 million tons of textile waste is created each year
- Fashion brands discard as much as 30% of their unused stock
- Only 25% of unsold clothes are reused or recycled by brands
- Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned
- Only 12% of garments are collected globally for recycling at all
- Switching to circular business models could reduce clothing waste by 60%
- Only 5% of used clothing is re-sold locally in developing countries, the rest becomes waste
- California landfills receive 1.2 million tons of textiles annually
Interpretation
Fast fashion may dress us up, but behind the seams, it's a global catastrophe where clothes come in one second and go out in a garbage truck the next—mostly to landfills, rarely to recycling, and almost never to responsibility.