For the third year in a row, global fibre production has clocked a rise—this time increasing from 116 million tonnes in 2022 to 124 million tonnes in 2023.
- Global fibre production has more than doubled since the volume of 58 million tonnes in 2000, and is expected to grow to 160 million tonnes in 2030 if business as usual continues.
- The revelation is from the annual Materials Market Report from Textile Exchange, which warned, “While the industry has made commitments to align with the 1.5°C pathway, trends we are seeing-such as the industry’s reliance on virgin fossil-based synthetic materials and the limitations of textile-to-textile recycling threaten to undermine the industry’s commitments to its climate goals.”
NEGATIVE INDICATORS: Among the bad news:
- The combined share of all recycled fibres slightly decreased in 2023, from around 7.9% to 7.7%, mainly due to an increase in the production of fossil-based polyester, which had lower prices than recycled polyester.
- Fossil-based synthetics production increased from 67 million tonnes in 2022 to 75 million tonnes in 2023.
- Less than 1% of the global fibre market came from pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles.
THE STATE OF MATERIALS: The report provides a breakdown of all materials:
- Cotton: Global cotton fibre production decreased slightly between 2021–22 and 2022–23, from 25.1 to 24.4 million tonnes. Cotton is the second most widely produced fibre, accounting for 20% of global fibre production. The market share has fluctuated over the years due to factors such as weather variations, programme changes, market conditions, and socio-political challenges.
- Polyester: Polyester fibre production increased from 63 million tonnes in 2022 to 71 million tonnes in 2023, accounting for 57% of global fibre production, meaning that polyester continues to be the most widely produced fibre. Recycled polyester fibre production increased from around 8.6 million tonnes in 2022 to around 8.9 million tonnes in 2023.
- Polyamide (Nylon): Polyamide (nylon), the second most used synthetic fibre, made up 5% of the global fibre market in 2023, with 6.7 million tonnes produced globally. The market share of biobased polyamide fibres in 2023 remained low, at around 0.5% of the global polyamide fibre market.
- Manmade Cellulosic Fibres: Production of manmade cellulosic fibres (MMCFs) including viscose (rayon), lyocell, modal, acetate, and cupro increased from 7.4 million tonnes in 2022 to 7.9 million tonnes in 2023, with MMCFs accounting for 6% of the global fibre market. MMCFs covered by FSC and/or PEFC had an estimated market share of about 60–65% of all MMCFs in 2023.
- Wool: Global sheep wool production remained relatively unchanged, at around 1 million tonnes of clean wool fibre in 2023, accounting for 0.9% of the global fibre market. The market share of wool produced according to the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), ZQ, SustainaWOOL (GREEN and GOLD), Sustainable Cape Wool Standard (SCWS), and Climate Beneficial increased from around 4.2% in 2022 to 4.8% in 2023.
- Mohair: Approximately 4,570 tonnes of greasy mohair fibre were produced globally in 2023. 47% of all mohair produced in 2023 aligned with the Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS). RMS increased its market share to 84% of total mohair production in South Africa and 55% of total mohair production in Australia in 2023.
- Alpaca: Global alpaca fibre production was around 6,200 tonnes in 2023. The market share of the Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS) reached 7% in 2023, up from 3% in 2022.
- Cashmere: Global cashmere production amounted to around 25,611 tonnes of greasy fibres in 2023. The market share of the cashmere programmes—AVFS, Good Cashmere Standard, Responsible Nomads, and Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA) Cashmere Standard – combined increased to 47% of all cashmere produced worldwide in 2023, up from 35% in 2022.
- Leather: Leather, measured in terms of fresh hides of cattle, sheep, goats, and buffalo, had a global production volume of around 13.4 million tonnes in 2022 (the latest year for which data are available). Cattle hides were the most used type of hide with an estimated 9.4 million tonnes produced, followed by sheep hides at 2.0 million tonnes, goat hides at 1.3 million tonnes and buffalo hides at 0.7 million tonnes.
- Down: Global down production was estimated at around 0.63 million tonnes in 2023, up from 0.60 million tonnes in 2022. The market share of the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) slightly increased to 3.3% of the total down market in 2023.
- Rubber: Global natural rubber production was around 15 million tonnes in 2023. The market share of rubber forest covered by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) increased slightly in 2023, from around 2.9% to 3.0% Sites certified to Textile Exchange standards.
