Upcycling Fashion Statistics

65% of consumers have tried buying secondhand apparel [1]

55% of consumers say they are concerned about the environmental impact of the fashion industry [2]

67% of consumers consider the use of sustainable materials to be an important purchasing factor [3]

63% of consumers consider a brand’s promotion of sustainability to be an important purchasing factor [3]

60% of consumers are willing to pay more for products with sustainable packaging [3]

71% of Gen Z consumers plan to shop secondhand in 2024 [1]

56% of consumers say they would choose pre-owned if they were given trade-in credit [1]

59% of consumers say retailers should make shopping secondhand easier [1]

47% of consumers say they have avoided a fashion brand because of its unsustainable practices [4]

41% of consumers say they are actively seeking more durable clothing [2]

34% of consumers have repaired or altered clothing to extend its life in the past year [5]

28% of consumers have bought second-hand clothing in the past year [5]

20% of consumers have sold clothing second-hand in the past year [5]

61% of UK citizens said they own clothes they have never worn [5]

33% of UK citizens said they buy too many clothes [5]

72% of consumers want brands to be transparent about environmental impact [6]

58% of consumers are willing to change their shopping habits to reduce environmental impact [6]

35% of consumers are willing to pay a premium for sustainable fashion [6]

57% of consumers say resale value influences what apparel they buy [1]

42% of consumers say they look for clothing that can be resold later [1]

52% of younger consumers say they shop secondhand for unique style [1]

36% of consumers say price is the top reason they shop secondhand [1]

27% of consumers cite sustainability as the top reason they shop secondhand [1]

62% of global consumers say they seek brands with a strong sustainability reputation [7]

64% of consumers have stopped purchasing from brands due to sustainability concerns [7]

67% of consumers say they check product labels for sustainability information [7]

79% of fashion executives expect consumers to focus more on value in 2024 [2]

82% of consumers want fashion brands to help them recycle or donate old clothes [8]

46% of consumers have purchased or sold pre-owned fashion items [8]

24% of consumers have used a clothing rental service [8]

The global fashion industry is responsible for 2.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually [9]

Fashion accounts for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions [9]

The fashion industry consumes 93 billion cubic meters of water each year [10]

The equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned every second [11]

Less than 1% of material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing [11]

The fashion industry is responsible for about 20% of global wastewater [12]

Washing clothes releases 500,000 tonnes of microfibres into the ocean every year [10]

Textile production emits 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year [13]

Europeans consume nearly 26 kilograms of textiles and discard about 11 kilograms per person each year [13]

Only about 1% of used clothes are recycled into new clothes in a closed loop [13]

In 2018, clothing and footwear consumption in the EU generated 654 kilograms of CO2 emissions per person [14]

In 2018, clothing and footwear consumption in the EU used 9 cubic meters of water per person [14]

In 2018, clothing and footwear consumption in the EU used 391 kilograms of raw materials per person [14]

In 2018, clothing and footwear consumption in the EU generated 270 square meters of land use per person [14]

Globally, consumers miss out on $460 billion of value each year by throwing clothes away that they could continue to wear [11]

Extending the life of clothes by just 9 months could reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by around 20-30% each [15]

In the UK, 350,000 tonnes of used clothing goes to landfill every year [15]

The average UK household owns around £4,000 worth of clothes [15]

Around 30% of clothes in the average UK wardrobe have not been worn for at least a year [15]

Producing a cotton shirt requires about 2,700 liters of water [16]

Producing one pair of jeans requires about 7,500 liters of water [17]

Globally, 87% of the total fiber input used for clothing is ultimately incinerated or landfilled [11]

The textiles sector was the third highest pressure category for water and land use from an EU consumption perspective in 2020 [18]

The textiles sector was the fifth highest category for primary raw materials use and greenhouse gas emissions in the EU in 2020 [18]

In 2020, EU households bought about 6 million tonnes of new clothing [18]

In 2020, the average EU citizen purchased 14.8 kilograms of textiles [18]

In 2020, the average EU citizen discarded 16 kilograms of textile waste [18]

In Europe, about 4.3 million tonnes of textile waste is generated annually [19]

In the EU, only 22% of post-consumer textile waste is collected separately for reuse or recycling [18]

Less than half of used textiles collected for reuse and recycling in Europe are reused, and only 1% are recycled into new clothing in Europe [18]

The global sustainable fashion market was valued at $7.8 billion in 2023 [20]

The global sustainable fashion market is expected to reach $33.1 billion by 2030 [20]

The global sustainable fashion market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 22.9% from 2024 to 2030 [20]

The global secondhand apparel market is expected to reach $350 billion by 2028 [1]

The secondhand apparel market is projected to grow 3 times faster than the global apparel market overall by 2028 [1]

The U.S. secondhand market is expected to reach $73 billion by 2028 [1]

Online resale is expected to nearly double by 2028 [1]

The global apparel resale market was worth $193 billion in 2023 [21]

The global apparel resale market is forecast to reach $276 billion in 2028 [21]

The global ethical fashion market was valued at $8.25 billion in 2023 [22]

The global ethical fashion market is projected to reach $18.67 billion by 2032 [22]

The ethical fashion market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.8% from 2024 to 2032 [22]

The global recycled textiles market size was valued at $5.76 billion in 2023 [23]

The global recycled textiles market is projected to reach $9.41 billion by 2033 [23]

The recycled textiles market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.03% from 2024 to 2033 [23]

The global textile recycling market size was estimated at $5.3 billion in 2023 [24]

The global textile recycling market is expected to reach $7.9 billion by 2030 [24]

The textile recycling market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.9% from 2024 to 2030 [24]

The global textile upcycling market was valued at $2.1 billion in 2022 [25]

The global textile upcycling market is projected to reach $4.8 billion by 2032 [25]

The textile upcycling market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 8.5% from 2022 to 2032 [25]

The global circular fashion market size was valued at $5.9 billion in 2023 [26]

The circular fashion market is projected to reach $15.3 billion by 2030 [26]

The circular fashion market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.5% from 2023 to 2030 [26]

The global refurbished and second-hand clothing market was valued at $177 billion in 2022 [27]

The refurbished and second-hand clothing market is expected to reach $351.6 billion by 2032 [27]

The refurbished and second-hand clothing market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.2% from 2024 to 2032 [27]

The global remade and upcycled fashion segment represented 14% of circular fashion startups tracked in 2023 [28]

The global fashion industry used 342 million barrels of oil annually to produce synthetic fibres [29]

Polyester made up 54% of global fiber production in 2022 [30]

Global fiber production reached 116 million tonnes in 2022 [30]

Recycled fibers represented only 7.9% of global fiber production in 2022 [30]

Less than 1% of the global fiber market came from pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles in 2022 [30]

Virgin fossil-based synthetics accounted for 67% of all fiber production in 2022 [30]

Cotton accounted for 20% of global fiber production in 2022 [30]

MMCFs accounted for 6% of global fiber production in 2022 [30]

Animal fibers accounted for 0.9% of global fiber production in 2022 [30]

Other plant-based fibers accounted for 1% of global fiber production in 2022 [30]

Textile Exchange projects global fiber production could rise to 147 million tonnes in 2030 if business as usual continues [30]

Producing recycled polyester can reduce emissions by around 32% compared with virgin polyester [31]

Producing recycled cotton can reduce CO2 emissions by about 80% compared with conventional cotton [32]

Only 0.3% of global cotton production was recycled cotton in 2022 [30]

Recycled polyester represented 14.8% of total polyester production in 2022 [30]

99% of recycled polyester feedstock came from PET bottles rather than textiles in 2022 [30]

Less than 1% of recycled polyester came from textile waste in 2022 [30]

Global man-made cellulosic fiber production was 7.4 million tonnes in 2022 [30]

Organic cotton represented 1.4% of total cotton production in 2021/22 [30]

Preferred cotton programs covered 27% of global cotton production in 2021/22 [30]

EU consumption of textiles requires on average 400 square meters of land per person [18]

EU consumption of textiles requires 9 cubic meters of water per person [18]

EU consumption of textiles uses 391 kilograms of raw materials per person [18]

Around 60% of clothing material is plastic [10]

Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of water globally [33]

Clothing production doubled between 2000 and 2015 [10]

Consumers bought 60% more clothes in 2014 than in 2000 [10]

Garments are often worn only 7 to 10 times before being thrown away [10]

Between 2% and 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by the fashion industry [34]

More than $500 billion of value is lost every year due to clothing underutilization and lack of recycling [34]

Textile processing uses an estimated 43 million tonnes of chemicals every year [35]

Globally, synthetic textiles may account for 16% to 35% of microplastics released to the oceans [35]

About 124 million tonnes of fibers were produced globally in 2023 [36]

The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles aims for all textile products placed on the EU market to be durable, repairable and recyclable by 2030 [37]

EU Member States must establish separate collection for textiles by 1 January 2025 [37]

France introduced mandatory environmental labelling for clothing in 2024 pilot form [38]

The EU Waste Framework Directive requires separate collection of textiles by 2025 [39]

Under the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation proposal, digital product passports are planned for textiles [40]

California’s Responsible Textile Recovery Act requires a producer responsibility organization plan by 2026 [41]

California’s textile EPR law sets textile stewardship program implementation for 1 July 2030 [41]

New York’s Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act would apply to companies with global revenues of at least $100 million [42]

The proposed New York Fashion Act would require mapping of at least 50% of supply chains [42]

The proposed New York Fashion Act allows civil penalties up to 2% of annual revenues over $450 million [42]

France’s Anti-Waste Law banned destruction of unsold non-food products from 2022 [43]

The Netherlands aims for a fully circular textile sector by 2050 [44]

The Netherlands set an interim target of 50% reduction in use of primary raw materials by 2030 [44]

Sweden reduced VAT on repairs of bicycles, shoes, clothes and leather goods from 25% to 12% [45]

The U.S. federal government purchased more than $1.7 billion in textiles and apparel in FY2022 [46]

The UK Textiles 2030 initiative targets a 50% reduction in the carbon footprint of new textile products by 2030 [47]

Textiles 2030 targets a 30% reduction in the water footprint of new textile products by 2030 [47]

France’s AGEC law requires informing consumers about environmental qualities and characteristics of textile products from 2023 [48]

The EU exported 1.4 million tonnes of used textiles in 2022 [49]

EU used-textile exports increased by 336% since 2000 [49]

Africa received 46% of EU used-textile exports in 2022 [49]

Asia received 41% of EU used-textile exports in 2022 [49]

In 2022, 85% of EU textile waste from households was not separately collected [50]

In 2022, households in the EU generated 5.2 million tonnes of textile waste [50]

Denmark’s waste prevention plan targets a 20% reduction in textile consumption climate impact by 2030 [51]

The EU’s revised Waste Shipment Regulation strengthens controls on exports of textile waste, with enforcement rules adopted in 2024 [52]

Extended producer responsibility for textiles will become mandatory across the EU under revised waste rules agreed in 2024 [53]

The revised EU waste deal introduces food waste reduction targets of 10% in processing and manufacturing by 2030 [53]

The same EU deal sets a 30% per capita retail and consumption food waste reduction target by 2030 [53]