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21 Must-Know Sustainable Fashion Facts & Statistics
Sustainability in fashion is not a buzzword designed to part shoppers from their money. As these sustainable fashion facts show, the clothing industry has a vital role to play in building a greener and kinder planet.
We have pulled together 21 eye-opening sustainable fashion statistics that paint a picture of an industry that urgently needs to improve, along with the facts that show change is slowly happening.
Key Takeaways
- Fashion brands still destroy or discount huge volumes of unsold stock: Burberry burned ÂŁ28.6 million of goods in 2017 alone.
- France's AGEC anti-waste law has banned the destruction of unsold clothing since 2022.
- Transparency is low: in the 2021 Fashion Transparency Index, the average brand scored just 23%.
- Organic cotton has 46% lower global warming potential than conventional cotton, according to Textile Exchange.
- To avoid greenwashing, look for independent certifications such as GOTS.
Sustainable fashion you can wear today: GOTS-certified organic cotton, made in the USA
What Do the Numbers Say About the Fashion Industry Today?
These sustainable fashion statistics give a telling insight into the fashion market.
1. Ethical fashion is a small but growing market
It is a drop in the ocean of a global apparel market worth well over USD 1.5 trillion, but sustainable fashion is growing. Research and Markets projected the ethical fashion segment to grow about 9% a year and pass USD 8 billion by the mid-2020s.
2. The rise of "snap and send back"
According to UK card issuer Barclaycard, 9% of shoppers admitted buying clothes just to post on social media and then return them.
The research also showed how casually clothes are bought: some shoppers keep the tags on, just in case the outfit does not wow and they want to send it back.
3. Clothing companies destroy huge amounts of unused stock
All those returns create another wasteful problem. Many businesses have been caught destroying unsold and returned stock rather than letting it be sold cheaply. A few real-world examples:
- Burberry destroyed about ÂŁ90 million of goods over five years, including ÂŁ28.6 million in 2017. After public outrage (and the #Burnberry hashtag), the brand stopped burning unsold products in 2018.
- H&M faced claims it burned excess stock, and in 2018 it was reported to be sitting on USD 4.3 billion of unsold inventory.
- Nike was criticized in 2017 when a New York store was found slashing unsold sneakers so they could not be reused.
4. Secondhand clothing is a multi-billion dollar industry
Secondhand garments are one of the fastest-growing parts of fashion. According to ThredUp's resale reports, resale has been growing several times faster than traditional retail and keeps gaining share of the clothing market. In 2020, the top 10 exporters of used clothing shipped nearly USD 3 billion worth.
5. Used clothing triggered an international trade dispute
In 2016, East African Community countries announced plans to phase out imports of used clothing to protect local manufacturing. Under pressure from the US, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania backed down, but Rwanda raised its tariffs anyway. In 2018 the US suspended Rwanda's duty-free AGOA benefits for clothing.
The results are mixed: local garment businesses grew, but clothing became more expensive for poorer Rwandans.
6. More European retailers are switching to sustainable cotton
When ten big European fashion companies were rated on sustainable cotton uptake, traceability and policy, four scored above 50 out of 100 and were described as "leading the way", with three more "well on the way".
7. A highly circular fashion industry is achievable
According to Global Fashion Agenda, fashion could become 80% circular if competitors collaborate to scale textile recycling. The catch: when GFA's 2020 circularity commitment closed, signatories represented only about 12.5% of the global fashion market, although that included big names like Nike and Asos.
Are Shoppers Really Demanding Sustainable Fashion?
8. Over half of shoppers want more sustainable fashion
A 2019 survey found that more than 50% of buyers want more sustainable clothing, though only 29% said they would pay a premium. A 2021 global study found more than a third of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainability, and those who are would pay about 25% more on average.
9. Online interest in sustainable fashion has grown for years
Google Trends shows searches for "sustainable fashion" rising steadily for over a decade, with a peak around 2020.
10. Gen Z is leading the way
Research from GWI found that the share of US consumers who consider sustainability when buying clothes grew in 2021, with the biggest jump among Gen Z. Gen Z shoppers also reported less interest in designer brands and keeping up with trends.
11. Just 47% of big brands disclose their manufacturing sites
Fashion Revolution's Fashion Transparency Index 2021 found that only 47% of the 250 largest brands publish a list of their first-tier manufacturers. The average transparency score was just 23%. A few brands such as H&M (68%), Timberland and The North Face (66%) stood out, while many big names scored close to zero.
How Is Innovation Shaping Sustainable Textiles?
12. Sustainable shopping apps are getting smarter
Good On You rates clothing brands for sustainability, and French start-up Clear Fashion built an app to check the ethical credentials of clothing. Secondhand marketplaces like ThredUp and Depop make buying used easier than ever.
13. Clothing rental is changing attitudes to reuse
Extending the life of clothing is one of the most effective ways to cut fashion's CO2 emissions. Rental services like Rent the Runway and Rent My Wardrobe show how new habits can make clothing more sustainable.
14. Next-gen and bio-based materials are taking off
At Première Vision Paris, the textile trade fair, designers have shown fabrics made from banana fibers and fish scales. Even coffee waste is being recycled into clothing. According to the World Economic Forum, nearly 40% of all funding ever raised by next-gen material startups came in 2020.
15. Recycling plastic into fibers is a growing industry
REPREVE says it has recycled tens of billions of plastic bottles into fibers used in everything from socks to sportswear, and Adidas partnered with Parley for the Oceans to turn marine plastic into millions of sneakers. Researchers at MIT have even shown that plastic bags could be woven into fabric. As Dr Svetlana Boriskina put it, "There's no reason why the simple plastic bag cannot be made into fiber and used as a high-end garment."
16. Cleaner dyeing techniques are arriving
Textile dyeing and treatment are often blamed for up to 20% of industrial water pollution worldwide. In 2021 Ralph Lauren unveiled Color on Demand, a dyeing platform it describes as the world's first scalable zero-wastewater cotton dyeing system.
What Are Governments Doing About Fast Fashion?
Facts alone cannot convince everyone to change, so fashion's environmental impact has moved up the political agenda.
17. The Fashion Pact was presented to the G7 in 2019
Launched at the G7 summit in Biarritz, the Fashion Pact brought together 32 companies representing around 150 brands. Led by Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault and backed by President Emmanuel Macron, it targets climate, biodiversity and ocean pollution.
18. France has banned the destruction of unsold clothes
Home to many of the world's biggest luxury brands, France passed the AGEC law (Anti-Gaspillage pour une Économie Circulaire, or anti-waste for a circular economy). Since 2022 it has banned the destruction of unsold non-food products, including clothing, and pushed brands toward donation, reuse and recycling.
19. New York's proposed Fashion Act
The Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act would require large fashion companies (over USD 100 million in revenue) doing business in New York to disclose their supply chains and environmental and social impacts. It has been reintroduced several times but, at the time of our latest update, has not yet become law.
New York City is also investing in local production through its Made in NY campus at Bush Terminal. That matters because about 97% of clothing sold in the US is imported, compared with only around 5% in the 1960s.
20. The European Union is pushing a sustainable fashion agenda
In 2021 the European Parliament called for "a carbon-neutral, environmentally sustainable, toxic-free and fully circular economy" by 2050 at the latest. The EU is also cracking down on greenwashing: a 2020 sweep by the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network found that 40% of green claims online could be misleading. The EU taxonomy for sustainable activities supports the wider European Green Deal.
Worried about greenwashing? Choose brands whose claims are verified by independent bodies. At Big Frenchies, our cotton is certified to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), which covers organic fibers, environmental criteria and fair working conditions. See our certifications.
21. The UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action
Launched at COP24 in 2018 under UN Climate Change and renewed in 2021, the Fashion Industry Charter commits signatories to halve emissions by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement.
Is Sustainable Fashion Really Making Progress?
As this list shows, it has never been more in vogue to buy sustainable clothing, even if there is still a long way to go. For the other side of the story, read our 40 Shocking Facts and Statistics About Fast Fashion.
We are fully on board at Big Frenchies. We use 100% organic cotton certified to GOTS. According to Textile Exchange's life cycle assessment, organic cotton has 46% lower global warming potential, uses 62% less energy and 91% less blue water than conventional cotton. Our certification also means the workers who bring our designs to life are treated fairly.
Ready to shop the change? Browse our GOTS-certified organic cotton collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is sustainable fashion?
Clothing designed, made and used in ways that reduce environmental harm and treat workers fairly: better materials, less waste, longer use, and reuse or recycling at end of life.
How can I tell if a brand is really sustainable?
Look for independent certifications such as GOTS for organic textiles or Fair Trade, and check whether the brand publishes where its clothes are made.
Is organic cotton better for the environment?
Yes. Organic cotton is grown without synthetic pesticides or GMO seeds, and Textile Exchange found it has 46% lower global warming potential than conventional cotton.
Which country banned the destruction of unsold clothes?
France. Its AGEC anti-waste law has banned the destruction of unsold non-food products, including clothing, since 2022.
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