Sustainable Fashion Statistics

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

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

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

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

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