Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
Only 15% of used textiles are recycled globally each year
The average American throws away about 81 pounds of clothing per year
85% of clothing ends up in landfills or is incinerated
Textile waste occupies nearly 5% of all landfill space
The fashion industry contributes 10% of global carbon emissions
Recycling 1 ton of textiles can save up to 20,000 liters of water
The textiles recycling industry removes approximately 2.5 billion pounds of post-consumer textiles from the waste stream each year
It takes 700 gallons of water to produce one cotton shirt
Reusing clothing creates 70 times less CO2 emissions than producing new garments
Textile recycling employs approximately 17,000 people in the U.S.
Nearly 95% of used textiles can be recycled or reused, yet only 15% actually are
Clothing production has doubled between 2000 and 2020
The average garment is worn only 7 to 10 times before disposal
Consumer Behavior and Usage Patterns
- The average garment is worn only 7 to 10 times before disposal
- Secondhand clothing sales are projected to double from $36 billion in 2021 to $77 billion by 2025
- 70% of the world's population uses second-hand clothing
- The secondhand market is expected to grow 11 times faster than the broader retail clothing sector
- The value of unused clothes in British wardrobes is estimated at £30 billion
- 60% of people throw away unwanted clothes rather than recycling them
- U.S. consumers buy five times more clothing now than in 1980
- 56 million tons of clothing were bought globally in 2019 and is expected to reach 93 million tons in 2030
- Clothing resale can delay end-of-life of a garment by 2.2 years on average
- The average UK household owns £4,000 worth of clothes, 30% of which hasn’t been worn in over a year
- The global secondhand apparel market is expected to grow to $218 billion by 2026
- Resold fashion displaced 1 billion new clothing purchases in 2021 alone
- 20% of clothing items in U.S. wardrobes are never worn
Interpretation
In a world where closets overflow and barely-worn fashion fuels mounting textile waste, the booming secondhand market is both a clever comeback for castoffs and a serious solution to our fast fashion addiction.
Environmental Impact and Resource Consumption
- The fashion industry contributes 10% of global carbon emissions
- Recycling 1 ton of textiles can save up to 20,000 liters of water
- It takes 700 gallons of water to produce one cotton shirt
- Reusing clothing creates 70 times less CO2 emissions than producing new garments
- Clothing production has doubled between 2000 and 2020
- Textile recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 1.2 billion pounds annually in the U.S.
- It takes about 1,800 gallons of water to make one pair of jeans
- Garment production is responsible for 20% of global industrial water pollution
- Cotton farming uses 16% of the world’s insecticides
- Each year, up to 500,000 tons of microfibers are released into the ocean from washing synthetic textiles
- Clothing made from recycled materials can use 35% less energy
- A single T-shirt can emit up to 6.5 kg of CO2 during its lifecycle
- Approximately 26 billion pounds of textiles are created annually in the U.S.
- Extending the life of clothing by 9 extra months reduces carbon, water, and waste footprints by 20-30%
- Garment workers often earn less than $3 a day, contributing to unsustainable industry practices
- The fashion industry uses 93 billion cubic meters of water annually
- One-third of all microplastics in the ocean originate from synthetic textiles
- Reused clothes save 77% on CO2 emissions compared to new production
- Making new textiles from recycled materials can cut water use by up to 90%
- A recycled polyester shirt uses 54% less energy than a virgin polyester shirt
- Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water globally
- Reselling one used clothing item reduces its carbon footprint by 82%
- One kilogram of recovered textiles saves 20 kg of CO2 emissions
- Recycled cotton saves 765 liters of water per t-shirt
- Circular fashion could unlock USD 560 billion by 2030
- Cotton accounts for 2.5% of the world's cultivated land, but uses 16% of its pesticides
- One suitcase of used clothes saves over 100,000 liters of water and 1,000 kg of CO2
- Patagonia estimates recycling one ton of clothing saves 20 tons of CO2
- The fashion industry uses enough water annually to meet the needs of 5 million people
Interpretation
In a world where your T-shirt drinks more water than you do and belches out CO2 like a small engine, textile recycling isn't just stylish—it's the planet’s most overdue wardrobe change.
Material Composition and Sustainability
- Wool clothing decomposes in landfills in approximately six months, releasing nutrients into the soil
- Synthetic fibers account for 62% of all textile fibers
- Nearly 70% of garments are made from synthetic fabrics
Interpretation
While wool quietly returns to the earth within months, feeding the soil like a good guest, synthetic fibers—making up the bulk of our wardrobes—linger for centuries, refusing to leave the landfill party.
Recycling and Reuse Rates
- Only 15% of used textiles are recycled globally each year
- The textiles recycling industry removes approximately 2.5 billion pounds of post-consumer textiles from the waste stream each year
- Textile recycling employs approximately 17,000 people in the U.S.
- Nearly 95% of used textiles can be recycled or reused, yet only 15% actually are
- Only 0.1% of collected textiles are recycled into new clothes
- The reuse of 1,000 tons of discarded textiles creates 7 full-time jobs
- It takes 12 years to recycle what the fashion industry produces in 48 hours
- Less than 15% of all discarded clothing in the U.S. is recycled or donated
- 95% of all garments ending up in landfill could be reused or recycled
- Only 1 in every 4 used items donated to thrift stores is actually resold
Interpretation
Despite the fact that nearly all discarded textiles could be reused or recycled, our global fashion habits churn out so much waste that it takes twelve years to recycle what we overproduce in just two days—proving that while the potential for textile recycling is vast, our commitment to it is tragically threadbare.
Textile Waste and Landfill Impact
- The average American throws away about 81 pounds of clothing per year
- 85% of clothing ends up in landfills or is incinerated
- Textile waste occupies nearly 5% of all landfill space
- Polyester, used in 60% of garments, takes more than 200 years to decompose
- About 13 million tons of clothing are thrown away in the U.S. each year
- The UK sends over 350,000 tons of used clothing to landfill each year
- Textile waste increased by 811% between 1960 and 2015 in the U.S.
- Textile recycling saves landfill space equivalent to 17 million cubic yards annually in the U.S.
- In Canada, 85% of usable textiles are sent to landfill
- Landfilling textiles costs municipalities about $45 per ton
- 43 million tons of used clothing are burned or landfilled annually worldwide
- Textile waste makes up nearly 8% of global landfill waste
- Every second, a truckload of textiles is landfilled or incinerated globally
- Clothes take over 200 years to decompose in landfills
- 900 million items of clothing are thrown away in the UK each year
- Landfilled textiles release methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than CO2
- Returning unsold fashion items accounts for 5 billion pounds of waste annually in the U.S.
Interpretation
We're quite literally burying ourselves in last season’s trends, as mountains of barely worn polyester and fashion faux pas decompose slower than our sense of environmental responsibility.