Transforming the Textile Industry: Accelerating Action on Resource Use

The textile sector is estimated to account for up to 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, and is consuming our land and water. The equivalent of 86 million Olympicsized swimming pools of natural water resources are being used every year. This rise in natural resource use is largely caused by an increase in fibre production. Synthetics have contributed most to this growth, with polyester having replaced cotton as the most widely used fibre in the world since the mid-1990s. Such synthetics are produced from fossil fuels and are therefore non-renewable and a contributor to climate emissions and other resource depletion. In parallel, projections have the fashion industry using 35% more land for natural fibre production, or the equivalent of 115 million hectares, by 2030. This level of natural resources consumption is unsustainable.