Fashion Facts
The footprint of the fashion industry
The fashion industry accounts for between 2% and 4% of global carbon emissions, with some reports even suggesting it could be 8% - 10% when broader lifecycle impacts are included.
[Source: Global Fashion Agenda’s Fashion on Climate Report]The emerging circular fashion economy could reach a potential valuation of around $5 trillion if circular business models such as resale, rental, repair, recycling and digital platforms scale significantly. This figure represents a projected future value rather than a current market size.
[Source: 2020 Circular Fashion Report & Vogue Business]A transition towards a circular economy could contribute to a 40% reduction in global emissions, help generate nearly 2 million jobs, and support the growth of a US $2-3 billion circular market in the coming years.
[Source: Deloitte & Circle Economy Circularity Gap Report 2024]96% of a brand’s greenhouse gas footprint lies in its supply chain, principally upstream of corporate operations. Within this footprint, material production and processing - including yarn, fabric, dyeing and finishing - account for the largest share of emissions, often more than 50%, while the cultivation and extraction of raw materials comprises roughly a quarter of the total. This underscores the critical importance of decarbonising fibre supply, wet processing, and textile manufacturing to reduce overall industry emissions.
[Source: World Resources: Roadmap to Net Zero]80% of a products environmental impact is determined at the design stage, as decisions around materials, construction, durability and end-of-life pathways are locked in long before a product is manufactured or sold.
[Source: The European Commission’s Ecodesign Framework]
Materials & Fibre Statistics
Global fibre production has more than doubled since 2000 - rising from around 58 million tonnes to well over 110 million tonnes - while, over the same period, the global population has grown by only around 25-30%, according to UN population data. This highlights that growth in fashion production is being driven by increased consumption, not population growth.
[Source: Textile Exchange Materials Market Report]Organic cotton represents only around 1-2% of global cotton production, highlighting the limited availability of certified organic fibre at scale.
[Source: Textile Exchange Organic Cotton Market Report]Approximately 80-85% of China’s cotton is produced in Xinjiang, equating to an estimated 15-20% of global cotton production.
[Source: US Department of Agriculture - USDA]Synthetics, led by polyester, have dominated the global fibre market since the mid 1990’s. Today synthetics account for around 60-65% of total global fibre production, highlighting the industry’s growing dependence on fossil-fuel derived materials.
[Source: Textile Exchange Materials Market Report]Polyester continues to be the most widely produced fibre globally, making up 54% of production in 2022.
[Source: Textile Exchange Materials Market Report]
Human Rights in Supply Chains
The global garment and textile industry employs at least 60 million people worldwide, making it one of the largest manufacturing employers globally - with the majority of workers located in low-and middle-income countries.
[Source: International Labour Organisation - ILO]In some places in China, young women in the garment industry work up to 150 hours of overtime per month, equivalent to around 12 additional 12-hour shifts. These studies also show that in some factories, around 60% of workers lack formal employment contracts, and up to 90% have no access to unemployment insurance, highlighting widespread informality and social protection gaps among migrant garment workers.
[Source: China Labour Bulletin]Nearly 138 million children were engaged in child labour in 2024. Child labour risks are also documented in parts of fashion supply chains - particularly upstream in commodities such as cotton and in informal production- reflected in initiatives like CLEAR Cotton and official risk listings maintained by the US Department of Labor. For scale, 138 million is roughly 3.3× Canada’s population.
[Source: International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Unicef]In the late 1990s and early 2000s, reports documented garment workers in parts of China earning as little as US $0.12–0.18 per hour, often while working long hours in poor and unsafe conditions. These findings played a key role in exposing sweatshop labour practices in global fashion supply chains at the time.
[Source: US National Labor Committee]Research compiled by labour rights organisations suggest that only a very small minority of garment workers - often cited at around 2% - earn a living wage, highlighting the scale of the global wage gap in fashion supply chains.
[Source: Clean Clothes Campaign & Fashion Reimagined Documentary]It is estimated that around 2–3 million children have historically been involved in cotton picking globally. While more recent ILO–UNICEF data no longer provides a single global cotton-specific figure, cotton remains recognised as a high-risk commodity for child labour, particularly in parts of agriculture-dependent supply chains.
[Source: International Labour Organisation (ILO) & Fashion Reimagined Documentary]
Water usage in fashion supply chains
If current consumption and management patterns continue, global water demand could exceed sustainable supply by around 40% by 2030, creating severe water stress in many regions.
[Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)]Textile dyeing and finishing processes are estimated to account for up to 20% of global industrial water pollution, due to the discharge of untreated wastewater containing dyes and hazardous chemicals.
[Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) & Business of Fashion]The fashion industry uses the equivalent of over 30 million Olympic-size swimming pools of freshwater each year, largely driven by fibre production and wet processing. Under business-as-usual growth scenarios, industry water demand could increase by up to 50% by 2030, intensifying water stress in already vulnerable regions.
[Source: Global Fashion Agenda]Global cotton production uses an average of around 1,931 litres of irrigation (blue) water per kilogram of cotton, based on aggregated global data. This figure reflects irrigation demand only and varies significantly depending on geography, climate and farming practices.
[Source: Transformers Foundation]
Microfibres & Pollution
Synthetic textiles are the largest source of primary microplastics entering the oceans, accounting for approximately 35% of global releases. Other major sources include tyre wear, urban dust, road markings and marine coatings, highlighting that microplastic pollution is a systemic, cross-sector issue - with fashion as a significant contributor.
[Source: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)]Tens of millions of tonnes of microplastics - including significant volumes of microfibres released from textiles - were projected to enter the world’s oceans between 2015 and 2020, and if current trends continue, this poses well-documented risks to marine ecosystems.
[Source: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)]Washing synthetic clothes releases an estimated 500,000 tonnes of plastic microfibres each year, a significant proportion of which ultimately reaches the ocean via wastewater systems. To illustrate scale, this has been likened to more than 50 billion plastic bottles - a communication equivalent rather than a direct material comparison.
[Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation]
Chemicals in Supply Chains
Estimates show that around 20–25% of industrial chemical compounds are utilised in textile dyeing and finishing processes, highlighting the sector’s exceptional chemical intensity and its associated environmental and health risks.
[Source: Handbook of Textile Effluent Remediation]Textile dyeing relies on a wide range of chemical compounds, many of which are toxic, contributing to significant environmental and health risks when not properly managed.
[Source: Environment Protection Agency EPA]Some garments are treated during finishing with chemical substances such as formaldehyde-based resins, used for wrinkle resistance, and flame retardants in specific product categories including workwear, children’s sleepwear and home textiles. Many of these substances are restricted or regulated due to known risks to human health and the environment, and regulated under frameworks like EU REACH.
[Source: Remake]Global cotton cultivation accounts for nearly US $2.6 billion in pesticide use each year, reflecting cotton’s status as one of the most pesticide-intensive crops. While use varies significantly by region and production system, the figure highlights the scale of chemical inputs associated with conventional cotton farming.
[Source: Pesticide Action Network North America]
Circular Business Models
Circular business models - including resale, rental and repair - could account for up to 23% of the global fashion market by 2030, representing a potential $700 billion opportunity if the industry shifts from linear growth toward value retention and product longevity.
[Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation]Circular business models - including resale, rental and repair - could help reduce fashion industry greenhouse gas emissions by up to around 143 million tonnes CO₂e by 2030, provided they displace new production rather than add to overall consumption.
[Source: McKinsey & Company]
The Resale Market
The global secondhand apparel market is projected to reach approximately $367 billion by 2029, growing at about a 10 % compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2024–2029.
[Source: ThredUp Resale Report 2025]Secondhand items are projected to make up around 18% of the average consumer’s wardrobe by 2030, reflecting a significant shift in consumer behaviour toward resale and reuse.
[Source: ThredUp Resale Report 2020]
The Rental Market
Repairing a garment increases its estimated useful life by about 1.3 years compared with unrepaired items - representing roughly a 30–33% increase in expected use duration.
[Source: WRAP’s 2022 UK Citizens Insights: Clothing Longevity and Circular Business Models]
Textile Waste and Landfill
It is estimated that the global apparel industry produces in the range of roughly 100 – 150 billion garments per year. It is hard to validate this as many brands do not disclose their production volumes. Independent analyses also indicate that a significant portion of this production becomes excess stock or inventories that brands struggle to sell, with some estimates suggesting billions of unsold items annually. Additionally, a large share of clothing is sold at discount, reflecting overproduction and weak demand forecasting.
[Source: Global Fashion Agenda & Ellen MacArthur Foundation]Industry analyses estimate that roughly 80–90 % of textile waste is currently disposed of in landfills or incinerators, while only a very small share - around 1 % - is recycled back into new textile fibres, due to technical and infrastructure challenges.
[Source: Textile Exchange]The European Union generates around 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste each year, of which clothing and footwear contribute about 5.2 million tonnes. Only a minority of this waste is separately collected for reuse or recycling, and much of the remainder is either incinerated, landfilled or exported for further handling.
[Source: European Parliament & European Commission]According to the European Environment Agency, clothing and footwear generate around 5.2 million tonnes of waste annually in the EU, equivalent to approximately 12 kg of clothing and footwear waste per person each year.
[Source: The European Environment Agency - EEA]Around 40% of second-hand clothing imported from Europe and North America is unsellable and becomes waste within days or about a week of arrival, placing significant environmental and social burdens on local communities.
[Source: The Or Foundation & Kantamanto Market in Accra]
Environmental Statistics
More than 200 million trees are logged every year to make cellulosic fabrics such as viscose and rayon.
[Source: Canopy Planet]Approximately 80% of deforestation in the Amazon is for cattle pasture.
[Source: Wikipedia, including World Bank and WWF]Global population figures reached 8 billion in November 2022, and is predicted to reach 9.7 billion in 2050, and about 10.3 billion in 2100.
[Source: United Nations]According to forecasts reported by organisations such as the Institute for Economics and Peace and other climate migration analyses, up to 1.2 billion people could be displaced by climate-related hazards by 2050.
Reports suggest that there has been an approximately 69 % average decline in species population sizes since 1970.
[Source: WWF’s Living Planet Report - 2022]If current production and waste patterns continue, the oceans could contain more plastic (by weight) than fish by 2050.
[Source: World Economic Forum (WWF) and Ellen MacArthur Foundation - The New Plastics Economy]