Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
20% of global wastewater comes from textile dyeing and treatment
About 92 million tonnes of textile waste is created annually
The fashion industry uses around 93 billion cubic meters of water annually, about 4% of all freshwater extraction globally
Synthetic textiles are responsible for 35% of microplastics in the ocean
A single wash of polyester clothing can release 700,000 microplastic fibers
85% of all textiles go to the dump each year
Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water globally
Cotton farming uses 16% of the world’s pesticides and 6% of insecticides
Making a single pair of jeans uses about 7,500 liters of water
The equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned every second
Only 1% of clothes are recycled into new clothes
Fast fashion consumption has doubled from 2000 to 2014
Carbon Emissions and Energy Use
- The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
- The apparel industry’s global emissions are expected to increase by 50% by 2030
- Over 60% of textiles used in clothing are made from synthetic materials derived from fossil fuels
- Nearly 70 million barrels of oil are used each year to make polyester
- 90% of clothing sold in the U.S. is made abroad, leading to greater transportation emissions
- Polyester production emits nearly three times more carbon dioxide than cotton
- Fashion accounts for about 2.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually
- Textile production is responsible for 1.2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent annually, more than international flights and maritime shipping combined
- Fashion contributes more to climate change than aviation and shipping combined
- Just 26 of the largest fashion companies are on track to reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement
- Clothing and footwear production is responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions
- One T-shirt can have carbon emissions of 6.75 kg CO2-equivalents
- A polyester shirt emits 5.5 kg of CO2 during production
- Textile and fashion industry expected to use 25% of the world's carbon budget by 2050
- Fashion is the world’s third-largest manufacturing sector after automotive and technology
- A 2017 report noted textile industry emits 1.7 billion tons of CO2 annually
- Emissions from apparel life cycles account for 3.3 billion metric tons of CO2-equivalents annually
Interpretation
Fashion may dress us to impress, but behind the seams, it’s a carbon-cloaked giant emitting more greenhouse gases than planes and ships combined—turning the catwalk into a fast track toward climate catastrophe.
Consumer Behavior and Clothing Lifespan
- Fast fashion consumption has doubled from 2000 to 2014
- The average number of times a garment is worn has decreased by 36% in 15 years
- 500 billion dollars in economic value is lost every year due to clothing underutilization and lack of recycling
- Globally, the average consumer buys 60% more clothes than 15 years ago but keeps them for half as long
- Clothing production has doubled between 2000 and 2014
- More than 60% of garments are disposed of within a year of production
- The average consumer wears a piece of clothing only 7–10 times before discarding it
Interpretation
In a dizzying whirl of fast fashion, we’re buying more, wearing less, and trashing trillions in clothes—and common sense—faster than you can say “seasonal trend.”
Environmental Pollution
- Synthetic textiles are responsible for 35% of microplastics in the ocean
- A single wash of polyester clothing can release 700,000 microplastic fibers
- Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water globally
- Cotton farming uses 16% of the world’s pesticides and 6% of insecticides
- Washing clothes releases 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean each year
- The textile industry contributes 5% to global industrial water pollution
- Globally, textiles account for 9% of annual microplastic pollution to the oceans
- About 25% of chemicals worldwide are used for textile production
- An average washload of 6 kg can release more than 700,000 microfibers
- Textile fibers are responsible for releasing approximately 1.5 million tons of microplastics into oceans annually
- Cotton production uses 2.5% of the world’s arable land
- Approximately 20% of industrial water pollution globally is attributable to textile manufacturing
- Synthetic clothes can shed tens of thousands of microplastics per wash
- The global textile market was valued at over $1.5 trillion in 2020, driving substantial environmental pressure
- Production of viscose, a common textile, involves toxic chemicals like carbon disulfide
- Blacks rivers near textile factories in parts of Asia indicate untreated textile wastewater pollution
Interpretation
Behind fashion’s glossy façade lies a dirty truth: from microplastic-laced ocean foam to pesticide-soaked cotton fields and chemically choked rivers, the textile industry weaves a $1.5 trillion tapestry of global pollution—one load of laundry at a time.
Textile Waste and Disposal
- About 92 million tonnes of textile waste is created annually
- 85% of all textiles go to the dump each year
- The equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned every second
- Only 1% of clothes are recycled into new clothes
- The average American throws away about 37 kg of clothes annually
- Discarded clothing made of non-biodegradable fabrics can sit in landfills for 200 years
- Synthetic fibers like polyester can take more than 200 years to decompose
- Only 15% of consumer-used textiles are recycled
- A truckload of clothing is incinerated or landfilled every second globally
- Just 0.1% of collected textile waste is recycled into new textile fibers
- Around 95% of textiles that are landfilled each year could be reused or recycled
- The EU generates around 5.8 million tonnes of textile waste annually
- Textile exports from the Global South often end up as waste in African countries, polluting water bodies
- Over 16 million tons of textile waste were generated in the U.S. in 2018
- Textile waste in the U.S. increased by 811% from 1960 to 2018
- 95% of used textiles can be recycled, yet only 15% are
- Around 500 billion USD is lost globally due to under-utilization and lack of clothing recycling
- Clothing can take up to 40 years to decompose in landfills
- Only 14% of clothing is collected globally for recycling or reuse
- 2.6 million tons of clothing were recycled in the U.S. in 2018, out of over 17 million tons discarded
- Developing countries bear the brunt of textile waste shipped from the developed world
- Around 264,000 tons of clothing are sent to UK landfills each year
- About 80% of discarded textiles in the U.S. end up in landfills or incinerators
Interpretation
We’re drowning in yesterday’s fashion faux pas, as billions of dollars and mountains of barely-worn clothes rot or burn while only a threadbare 1% get a second life—proving that in the global closet, waste is always in style.
Water Consumption and Wastewater
- 20% of global wastewater comes from textile dyeing and treatment
- The fashion industry uses around 93 billion cubic meters of water annually, about 4% of all freshwater extraction globally
- Making a single pair of jeans uses about 7,500 liters of water
- Producing 1 kg of cotton fabric uses about 20,000 liters of water
- Textile industry used approximately 79 billion cubic meters of water in 2015
- Up to 200 liters of water are required to produce 1 kg of dyed fabric
- Wet processing in textile production accounts for 20% of global industrial water pollution
- The textile industry is the third-largest water consumer globally
- Average water footprint of leather shoes is 8,000 liters
- Garment factories often dump wastewater into rivers without treatment
- It takes about 2,700 liters of water to produce one cotton shirt
Interpretation
In a world where fashion is fast and water is finite, our shirts, jeans, and shoes are less about style and more about siphoning rivers dry—one untreated dye dump at a time.