Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined
Approximately 20% of global wastewater comes from textile dyeing and finishing
It takes about 2,700 liters of water to make a single cotton shirt, enough for one person to drink for 2.5 years
85% of all textiles go to the dump each year rather than being recycled or reused
The equivalent of one garbage truck of nearly new clothes is thrown away or burned every second
Less than 1% of materials used to produce clothing are recycled into new clothing
66% of global consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable goods
75% of Gen Z shoppers state that sustainability is more important to them than brand name
52% of consumers check for greenwashing before buying from a brand
93% of brands surveyed by the Fashion Checker do not pay garment workers a living wage
Approximately 80% of garment workers worldwide are women
It is estimated that 40 to 60 million people work in the garment industry globally
The global ethical fashion market size is expected to reach $10 billion by 2025
The secondhand apparel market is projected to grow 3X faster than the global apparel market overall
The global sustainable fashion market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 9.1% from 2022 to 2030
Consumer Behavior
- 66% of global consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable goods
- 75% of Gen Z shoppers state that sustainability is more important to them than brand name
- 52% of consumers check for greenwashing before buying from a brand
- 90% of Gen Z consumers believe companies have a responsibility to address environmental and social issues
- Searches for "sustainable fashion" increased by 66% on Pinterest in 2023
- 42% of millennials say they want to know what goes into products and how they are made before buying
- 88% of consumers worldwide want brands to help them be more environmentally friendly and ethical in their daily lives
- Buying one used item reduces its carbon, waste, and water footprints by 82%
- 62% of Gen Z and Millennials look for an item secondhand before buying it new
- 35% of consumers have switched from their preferred brand to another because it credibly stands for positive environmental and/or social practices
- Only 47% of consumers trust brand sustainability claims
- 65% of buyers try to buy high quality items that last longer to be more sustainable
- 57% of shoppers are willing to change their purchasing habits to reduce negative environmental impact
- Consumer demand for ethical fashion has led to a 500% increase in sustainable product listings on major retail sites over 3 years
- 67% of consumers consider the use of sustainable materials as an important purchasing factor
- 1 in 3 consumers say they will stop buying from their favorite brand if they lose trust in its sustainability efforts
- Vegan leather' searches increased by 69% year-on-year according to Lyst
- 28% of consumers have started buying second-hand clothes to reduce their environmental impact
- 60% of consumers reported that they are less interested in fast fashion than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic
- Repairing clothes is becoming popular with 57% of consumers willing to repair items to extend their life
Interpretation
Fashion’s new dress code is ethics: shoppers, especially Gen Z, are willing to pay more, scrutinize brands for greenwashing and transparency, hunt secondhand or repair to cut footprints, and have driven surging searches and a 500% rise in sustainable listings, which means companies must act on environmental and social responsibility or risk losing customers’ trust.
Environmental Impact
- The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined
- Approximately 20% of global wastewater comes from textile dyeing and finishing
- It takes about 2,700 liters of water to make a single cotton shirt, enough for one person to drink for 2.5 years
- Synthetic fibers like polyester release half a million tons of plastic microfibers into the ocean every year
- 35% of all primary microplastics released into the environment are from laundering synthetic textiles
- Conventional cotton farming is responsible for 24% of the world's insecticide use
- Fashion production makes up 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions, dries up water sources, and pollutes rivers and streams
- The apparel industry's global emissions will increase by 50% by 2030 if current pathways remain unchecked
- Making a pair of jeans produces as much greenhouse gases as driving a car for more than 80 miles
- Textile dyes are the second largest polluter of water globally
- Washing clothes releases 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean each year, the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles
- 70 million barrels of oil concern are used each year to make the world’s polyester fiber
- Leather production tanning processes utilize 3 major chemicals—chromium, aldehydes, and vegetable tannins—which are significant pollutants
- Organic cotton produces 46% less CO2e compared to conventional cotton
- Avoiding one kilogram of nylon production reduces greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 15 kilograms of CO2 equivalent
- Soil degradation from overgrazing of cashmere goats has turned 90% of Mongolia's grassland into desert
- Viscose production is linked to the logging of 150 million trees annually
- Every year, 43 million tonnes of chemicals are used in textile production
- The carbon footprint of a polyester shirt is approximately double that of a cotton shirt (5.5 kg CO2e vs 2.1 kg CO2e)
- Textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined
Interpretation
If fashion were a country it would be a top polluter, producing about 10 percent of global carbon emissions—more than international aviation and shipping combined—while siphoning and poisoning freshwater through dyeing, pouring half a million tons of plastic microfibers into the ocean each year, decimating forests and grasslands for fibers, and, unless we change course, increasing its emissions roughly 50 percent by 2030.
Labor & Ethics
- 93% of brands surveyed by the Fashion Checker do not pay garment workers a living wage
- Approximately 80% of garment workers worldwide are women
- It is estimated that 40 to 60 million people work in the garment industry globally
- Less than 2% of garment workers globally earn a fair living wage
- In Bangladesh, the minimum wage covers only 60% of the cost of living in a slum
- 25 million people are estimated to be in forced labor, with fashion being a high-risk industry
- Only 17% of fashion brands disclose their Tier 1 supplier lists down to the address
- 77% of UK retailers believe there is likely modern slavery in their supply chains
- Garment workers in Ethiopia earn a base wage of $26 a month, the lowest in the global textile supply chain
- 170 million children are engaged in child labor, with many in cotton, textile and garment industries
- Home-based workers in the fashion supply chain often earn less than 50% of the minimum wage
- Over 1,100 workers died in the Rana Plaza collapse, highlighting unsafe working conditions in 2013
- 80% of fashion supply chain workers have no access to social protection or sick pay
- Cotton production involves forced labor in 1 in 4 top producing countries
- Migrant women make up a significant portion of the textile workforce and are highly vulnerable to abuse
- 54% of brands scored 0-20% on the Fashion Transparency Index regarding their social and environmental policies
- Only 5% of brands can demonstrate that they pay their workers a living wage
- Unionization rates in the garment sector are often below 10%, restricting bargaining power
- In India, 60% of spinning mill workers are adolescent girls, often under Sumangali schemes (bonded labor)
- Wage theft in the garment industry during the pandemic cost workers an estimated $500 million
Interpretation
These statistics reveal a brutally honest stitch in the global fashion fabric: 93% of brands fail to pay a living wage and under 2% of workers earn a fair living wage, while 40 to 60 million people—mostly women and many children—labor in opaque, unsafe, and often coercive supply chains where forced labor, wage theft, and deadly factory collapses are the hidden cost of cheap clothes.
Market Growth & Trends
- The global ethical fashion market size is expected to reach $10 billion by 2025
- The secondhand apparel market is projected to grow 3X faster than the global apparel market overall
- The global sustainable fashion market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 9.1% from 2022 to 2030
- Resale is expected to overtake fast fashion by 2030
- Following a circular economy path could unlock $560 billion in economic opportunity for the fashion industry
- The online clothing rental market is expected to reach $2.08 billion by 2025
- Bio-based materials market in fashion is increasing with a CAGR of over 20%
- Investments in sustainable textile innovation reached $2.2 billion in 2021
- The market for vegan leather is set to reach $89 billion by 2025
- Legislation in the EU regarding Digital Product Passports is driving market shifts towards traceability
- Certified B Corp fashion brands have increased by over 40% in the last 2 years
- The global organic cotton market is expected to reach $6.7 billion by 2027
- Repair and care services in retail are expected to grow by 12% annually
- Green bonds issued by fashion companies to fund sustainability projects reached $1.5 billion in 2020
- 40% of fashion executives see sustainable materials as the biggest driver of industry growth in the coming decade
- The luxury resale market is growing 4 times faster than the primary luxury market
- On-demand manufacturing is projected to reduce inventory costs by 30% for brands adopting it
- The share of sustainable apparel in the total apparel market is expected to rise to 6.1% by 2026
- 15% of global fashion consumers have already adopted clothing rental subscriptions
- Secondhand clothing sales worldwide are expected to reach $350 billion by 2027
Interpretation
Fashion is finally trading fast trends for lasting value: ethical and sustainable segments are ballooning into multibillion-dollar markets, from a projected $10 billion ethical market and $89 billion vegan leather by 2025 to $350 billion in secondhand sales by 2027, as resale, rental and circular models grow far faster than traditional apparel and are on track to overtake fast fashion by 2030; the sustainable fashion market is expected to expand at about 9.1 percent annually through 2030 while bio-based materials surge at over 20 percent, investments, green bonds and certifications are rising, on demand manufacturing and repair services promise big cost and waste reductions, and EU traceability rules plus a roughly $560 billion circular opportunity are aligning incentives so that sustainability is becoming the industry’s primary growth engine.
Waste & Recycling
- 85% of all textiles go to the dump each year rather than being recycled or reused
- The equivalent of one garbage truck of nearly new clothes is thrown away or burned every second
- Less than 1% of materials used to produce clothing are recycled into new clothing
- Textile waste has increased by 811% since 1960 in the United States alone
- The average number of times a garment is worn before it ceases to be used has decreased by 36% compared to 15 years ago
- Consumers discard clothing after only 7 to 10 wears on average
- 95% of worn textiles can be recycled or repurposed, yet they usually end up in landfills
- In the UK, WRAP estimates that £140 million worth of clothing goes into landfill each year
- Extending the life of clothing by just 9 months of active use would reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by 20-30% each
- Approximately 15% of fabric intended for clothing ends up on the cutting room floor as waste
- 11.3 million tons of textile waste ended up in US landfills in 2018
- Man-made cellulosic fibers like rayon make up the third largest share of global fiber production yet have low recycling rates
- Only 12% of material used for clothing globally ends up being recycled in some form (mostly downcycling)
- 30% of clothes produced each season are never sold
- The average American throws away approximately 81 pounds of clothing every year
- By 2030, it is expected that there will be 148 million tons of fashion waste annually
- Upcycling (creative reuse) reduces the volume of discarded materials and waste by utilizing existing materials
- 60% of consumers say they have clothes in their wardrobe they have never worn
- Sorting textiles for recycling costs more than the value of the recycled material in many cases, hindering progress
- Ghana’s Kantamanto market receives 15 million items of used clothing weekly, 40% of which ends up as immediate waste
Interpretation
Fast fashion has turned our wardrobes into landfills, with 85% of textiles dumped each year, less than 1% recycled into new clothing and only about 12% recycled in any form, a garbage truck of nearly new garments thrown away or burned every second, 30% of seasonal stock never sold and fashion waste projected to reach 148 million tons by 2030, yet simply wearing clothes nine months longer or embracing upcycling could cut carbon, water and waste footprints 20 to 30 percent if we can overcome the economic and sorting barriers exposed by markets like Ghana’s Kantamanto, which receives 15 million used items weekly and discards 40 percent immediately.
References
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