Booming global textile market
The global textile demand, a market of more than $900 billion, is continuously on the rise.
Satisfying this demand through natural fibers is limited due to lack of cultivable acreage.
Further industry growth needs to be covered by synthetic fibers, such as polyester or industrialized alternatives.
The problem
- 100 billion+ pieces of textiles are manufactured per year. Production is forecasted to double again by 2030, fueled by “fast fashion”.²
- More than 30% of microplastics found in the world's oceans can be traced back to synthetic textile fibers.³
- 20% of the world's water pollution is a result of industrial sewage from the textile industry.⁴
- 80% of used textiles are incinerated, end up in landfill or directly in nature. Only 1% of textiles are recycled into new garments.⁵
- The industry produces 1.2 billion tons of CO2 annually, around 5% of total global emissions. That is more emissions than international flights or maritime shipping.⁶
¹ https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1035161
² McKinsey & Company, 2016 / https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/sustainability/our-insights/style-thats-sustainable-a-new-fast-fashion-formula#
³ Boucher & Friot, IUCN, 2017 / https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/2017-002-En.pdf
⁴ World Bank, 2019 / https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2019/09/23/costo-moda-medio-ambiente
⁵ Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2020 // https://www.government.nl/binaries/government/documents/reports/2021/01/12/transition-to-circular-textiles-in-the-netherlands-an-innovation-systems-analysis/Transition+to+Circular+Textiles+in+the+Netherlands+-+Innovation+Systems+Analysis+%282%29.pdf
⁶ Nature Climate Change, 2018 // https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-017-0058-9