UNEP's Resources - Textile Sector

The textiles industry provides high levels of employment, foreign exchange revenue and products essential to human welfare. It employs over 300 million people, many of them women. Clothing production has approximately doubled in the last 15 years, while the number of times a garment is worn before being discarded has decreased 36%. The textile industry’s impact on the climate accounts for approximately 3.3 billion mt emitted GHGs per year while consuming around 215 trillion litres of water.