Over the past few decades, the textile industry has evolved towards a “fast fashion” approach: cheap clothing made from cheap materials that is worn for one season or less and then discarded. Textile production and consumption puts enormous pressures on the environment and climate change. These pressures range from the land and water used to produce textiles, the energy and chemical dyes used in manufacturing and production, to retail and waste.
Our assessment shows that compared to other consumption categories, textile consumption in the EU had the third highest pressure on water and land use in 2020, and the fifth highest raw material use and greenhouse gas emissions.
At the same time, the textile sector is the third largest employer in the world after food and housing, with around 13 million full-time equivalent workers employed in supply chains around the world to produce the amount of clothing, textiles and footwear consumed in the EU27 alone in 2020. Most of the production takes place in Asia, where low production costs often come at the expense of worker health and safety.
Circular business models and design can reduce the negative impacts of textile production and consumption by preserving the value of textiles, extending their life cycles and increasing the use of recycled materials. This requires technological, social and business innovations supported by policy, education and consumer behavior changes.
