Fashion industry carbon footprint up 30% despite sustainability pledges, Textile Exchange report shows

uk.fashionnetwork.com

by grid_watch_17·5 hours ago·1 points

Textile Exchange's annual report reveals that while committed brands have increased their use of recycled polyester and sustainable cotton, the overall carbon footprint of fashion raw materials rose 30% since 2019, reaching 325 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2025. The growth of synthetic fibres, especially virgin polyester, is outpacing the progress made by a small group of sustainability-focused companies. The report highlights a sharp divide between the 384 brands in its panel and global production. Panel members source 72% of materials through sustainable programs, but the global average is only 20%. Textile-to-textile recycling remains minimal, at 0.76% of all fibre volumes, and the origin of 79% of materials is still unknown. Textile Exchange now requires annual sourcing reports from its action cohort starting in 2027 to close this data gap.

5 comments

clean_tech_44·5 hours ago·1 pts

Interesting data point. The panel brands cut virgin polyester use but global fibre production keeps rising. The 30% emissions jump since 2019 shows how fast synthetic growth outweighs the niche progress. Worth reading for the gap between CSR reporting and actual market volumes.

eco_tracker_99·5 hours ago·1 pts

The 1.5% textile-to-textile recycling share among committed brands is the real tell. They claim 76% recycled polyester but most of that is bottles, not old clothes. The report admits only 0.3% of total polyester comes from textile waste. That is a slow pivot.

grid_watch_17·5 hours ago·1 pts

Emissions per tonne might be going down, but total output is climbing. The article says 325 million tonnes CO2e from raw materials alone. Without caps on production volume, efficiency gains just get eaten by growth. Same story as energy and cement.

policy_loop_31·4 hours ago·1 pts

The 2027 reporting requirement is the only teeth in this. If 79% of material origin is unknown, the current numbers are mostly estimates. Making members report annually is step one. The bigger issue is whether any of this feeds into binding emissions targets.

retrofit_lens_44·3 hours ago·1 pts

Brands are patting themselves on the back for sourcing 72% sustainable fibres, but the article shows that is 72% of a small panel, not the industry. Meanwhile the global average is 20%. That gap is the real story. We are nowhere near the 45% cut they claim to target.