Fashion: The Facts and Figures
Image from Remake.
If you can only remember 3 facts
1. At 1.2 billion tonners annually, total greenhouse gas emissions from textiles production are more than those of all international flights and maritime shipping combined (3)
(For context, the global airline industry produced 915 million tonnes of CO2 in 2019)
2. Clothing production has more than doubled globally over the last 15 years. In the UK we’re buying twice as much as we were buying 15 years ago (1)
3. Textiles are the largest source of both primary and secondary microplastics, accounting for 34.8% of global microplastic pollution (1)
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
Cotton is the world’s single largest pesticide-consuming crop, using 24% of all insecticides and 11% of all pesticides globally, adversely affecting soil and water and leading to massive loss of biodiversity (13) (14)
Textile production is also responsible for the loss of habitat (30% of rayon and viscose come from pulp sourced from endangered forests) (1)
20% of freshwater pollution comes from textile treatment and dyeing (2)
Laundry of synthetic textiles (34.8%) is the largest source of release of primary microplastics to the world oceans. (7)
Every year, around half a million tonnes of microfibers released by washed garments contribute to ocean pollution – 16 times more than plastic microbeads from cosmetics. (7)
Through harsh chemical manufacturing processes and the irresponsible disposal of toxic chemical waste, the denim industry has destroyed rivers and impacted the lives of people who count on these waterways for their survival. (17)
70 % of Asia's rivers and lakes are contaminated by the 2.5 billion gallons of wastewater produced by that continent's textile industry. (16)
The fashion industry is the second biggest polluter of freshwater resources on the planet. (19)
EMISSIONS
In 2015, the total greenhouse gas emissions from textiles production was estimated at 1.2 billion tonnes annually of CO2 equivalent, more than those of all international flights and maritime shipping combined. (3)
The apparel industry alone represents 6.7% of emissions, equivalent to about 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 (almost the current estimate of the fossil CO2 emission of the EU 3.5 Gt). More than 50% of emissions come from three stages: Dyeing & Finishing, Yarn Preparation, and Fiber Production. (6)
If a business-as-usual scenario prevails, the apparel industry’s impact will steadily rise over the next 15 years, reaching a projected 49% increase in climate change impact by 2030. That means the apparel industry will emit 4.9 billion tonnes CO2-eq. (6)
Fast fashion garments, which we wear less than 5 times and keep for 35 days, produce over 400% more carbon emissions per item per year than garments worn 50 times and kept for a full year. (13)
RESOURCE USE
Textiles production (including cotton farming) use of water is estimated between 79 billion cubic meters and 93 billion cubic metres annually. It is equivalent to 23-27 years of the total water household consumption in the UK*. This water consumption is expected to increase by 50% by 2030 (7) *based on an average on 140litres per person per day
It takes between 10,000 and 20,000 litres of water to grow and produce 1kg of cotton (1 shirt and 1 pair of jeans) (7)
Over 70 million trees are logged every year and turned into fabrics like rayon, viscose, modal and lyocell. (13)
Nearly 70 million barrels of oil are used each year to make the world’s polyester fiber, which is now the most commonly used fiber in our clothing. But it takes more than 200 years to decompose. (13)
CONSUMPTION AND WASTEIn 2015, it was estimated that global clothing production has more than doubled globally over 15 years. (3)
In the UK, 30% in average wardrobe has not been worn in a year; £140m worth of clothing goes to landfill each year. In 2016 it was estimated that the average piece of clothing lasts for 3.3 years before being discarded. (2)
Worldwide, clothing utilization – the average number of times a garment is worn before it ceases to be used – has decreased by 36% compared to 15 years ago (3)
Around 350,000 tonnes of used clothing goes to landfill in the UK each year. Underwear, lone stocks, and out-of-style pieces are the first to be binned. (2)
Worldwide, fewer than 1% of garments are recycled into new clothing each year, and 73% of material ends up landfilled or incinerated. (3)
Worldwide, only 20 per cent of textiles are recycled. (4)
Clothing waste is a growing problem worldwide. McKinsey & Company estimated in 2016 that 60% of all clothing produced ends up in incinerators or landfills within a year of being made. (9)
400 billion square meters of textiles are produced annually, of which 60 billion square meters are left on the cutting room floor. (10)
The average consumer is now purchasing 60% more items of clothing in 2014 compared to 2000, but each garment is kept half as long. (11)
WRAP has found that extending the life of clothes by an extra nine months of active use would reduce the carbon, water, and waste footprints by around 20-30% each and cut the cost in resources used to supply, launder and dispose of clothing by 20%. (5) (20)
The UN says that, by 2050, the equivalent of almost three planets could be required to provide the natural resources needed to sustain current lifestyles given the growth in global population. (12)
Global consumption of clothing and footwear is expected to increase by 63% by 2030, from 62 million tonnes in 2015 to 102 million in 2030. (15) (7)
GARMENT WORKERS
Most of the garments sold in the UK are produced in Asian countries where labour is cheap. Consumers in the UK ‘are getting pleasure and enjoyment from fashion and that is coming at a cost to workers and the environment in exterritorial, overseas production routes as well as agriculture.’ (15)
In the global garment industry approximately 80% of garment workers are women, aged 18-35. Many have children and families to provide for and are the main income earner. (22)
A 2018 study by the Fair Labour Association found the average garment worker in Bangladesh would need an 80 percent pay raise to begin earning wages even close to the most conservative living wage benchmark the report considered. A recent increase in the country’s minimum wage for garment workers to 8,000 taka a month (around $95) hasn’t closed the gap. The lowest living wage benchmark cited by the FLA was 13,620 taka a month. (23)
Garment workers usually work with no ventilation, breathing in toxic substances, inhaling fibre dust or blasted sand in unsafe buildings. The overwhelming majority of workers are women. (18)
https://www.fashionrevolution.org/resources/fanzine3/
http://www.wrap.org.uk (report: valuing our clothes the cost of UK fashion)
https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/publications/A-New-Textiles-Economy_Full-Report_Updated_1-12-17.pdf
https://www.commonobjective.co/article/the-issues-waste
http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Textiles_Market_Situation_Report_2016.pdf
https://quantis-intl.com/measuring-fashion-report-2018/
https://globalfashionagenda.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Pulse-of-the-Fashion-Industry_2017.pdf
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X16307639
https://cfsd.org.uk/events/bsci-research-fashion1/
https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/7539/fast-fashion-is-drowning-the-world-we-need-a-fashion-revolution
https://www.wri.org/blog/2019/01/numbers-economic-social-and-environmental-impacts-fast-fashion
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-consumption-production/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2015/12/03/making-climate-change-fashionable-the-garment-industry-takes-on-global-warming/
https://ejfoundation.org/resources/downloads/the_deadly_chemicals_in_cotton.pdf
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/full-report.html#heading-6
https://www.ecowatch.com/new-york-city-flood-protection-2643768909.html
http://riverbluethemovie.eco/the-film/
https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/old-working-conditions
https://www.seastainable.co/blogs/seastainable-blog/airing-dirty-laundry-our-harmful-relationship-with-fast-fashion
https://docplayer.net/37531440-Textiles-market-situation-report-spring-2016.html
https://www.atag.org/facts-figures.html
https://labourbehindthelabel.org/campaigns/living-wage/
https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/why-fashion-doesnt-pay-fair
