The linear textile industry is driving unsustainable levels of production and consumption and despite increasing efforts to embrace circularity, progress remains slow, says the first-of-its-kind Circularity Gap Report: Textiles that examines how materials flow throughout the entire textile value chain, from design to post-consumer management.
- The report—The Circularity Gap Report: Closing the Circularity Gap in the Textile Industry — exhorts that if the textile industry is to continue meeting global demand without exceeding the planet’s safe limits, it must embrace circularity on a global scale.
- The textile industry stands at the crossroads of a global crisis. As unsustainable production and consumption patterns intensify, the industry is becoming increasingly resource-intensive and environmentally damaging.
FINDINGS: The world currently consumes 100 billion tonnes of materials each year, 3 with 3.25 billion tonnes used by the textile industry. According to the analysis in this report, only 9.6 million tonnes come from secondary sources, underscoring the industry’s reliance on virgin materials.
- The unsustainable linear system, where up to 30% of clothing produced annually remains unsold, further entrenches the cycle of resource extraction and waste.
- What’s more, the industry’s global footprint is growing exponentially. In 2022, fibre production reached a record 116 million tonnes, up from 112 million tonnes the previous year, and per capita fibre consumption has risen significantly over the decades—from 8.3 kilograms in 1975 to 14.6 kilograms in 2022.
- As demand for textiles grows, the industry’s global market, valued at €1.7 trillion (US$1.8 trillion) 6 in 2023, is expected to increase by 7.4% annually through 2030, further intensifying its environmental impact unless circular strategies are adopted. Brands are able to operate in such a way—with a focus on maximising volumes—due to subsidised fossil fuels and cheap labour, resulting in decreasing clothing quality.
- As the industry grows, its globalised nature and overproduction underscore the challenges and opportunities for advancing circularity. Policies— from local initiatives to international regulations— are crucial in shaping a sustainable future for textiles.
- However, current frameworks are often voluntary and fragmented, limiting their impact. Effective governance in the textile industry is essential for promoting circular economy principles, requiring coordination among local, national, and supranational bodies to achieve socioeconomic and environmental goals.
- Without a systemic shift, the textile industry will continue to strain the planet’s finite resources and contribute to the degradation of both natural ecosystems and social well-being, despite growing awareness and efforts.
- Production speeds across all market segments have increased dramatically, with mass-market brands now releasing up to 24 collections per year and luxury brands introducing intermediate collections beyond the traditional two-season format.
- Despite an estimated 10012 to 15013 billion garments produced annually, major brands still fail to disclose their production figures.
- In contrast, smaller brands such as Finisterre and Asket have committed to annual disclosures, setting an example for greater accountability in an industry grappling with systemic overproduction and material waste.
THE SUGGESTIONS: Making the results of this analysis a reality requires urgent and systemic change. Transitioning from linear to circular will require systemic interventions applied on a global scale, ranging from the adoption of more sustainable materials and improved recycling technologies to strong Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes and business models that promote reuse and sharing.
- Collaborative efforts from all stakeholders along the value chain—be they raw material producers, designers, fashion retailers, or consumers—will be essential to realise this shift.
By focusing on four priority areas, a path can be carved towards a more resilient and responsible textile industry that meets both environmental imperatives and societal needs:
- Significantly reduce textile production by encouraging brands to release fewer collections and focus on durability and quality over quantity. Brands can also be motivated to reduce production if they're supported in making circular business models—such as repair and rental—a large share of their revenue streams. Overproduction and overconsumption are major barriers, and reducing both can alleviate pressure on resources and lessen environmental impacts.
- Address broader environmental concerns in addition to lowering GHG emissions. Strategies for a circular textile industry must tackle water use, biodiversity loss, and marine pollution—all of which are closely linked to textile production, especially of cotton and synthetic fibres.
- Ensure that a just transition is at the forefront of the shift towards a circular textile industry. This includes improving labour conditions, ensuring fair wages, and reducing informal employment, particularly in the Global South. Circular economy models must promote social equity, especially for women and vulnerable workers.
- Drive a coordinated effort across sectors to realise the full potential of a circular textile industry. Governments, businesses, and financial institutions must invest in technologies that enable circularity, such as recycling infrastructure and sustainable material innovation. Policy frameworks should enforce mandatory circular practices, while financial mechanisms should incentivise sustainable business models.
CIRCLE ECONOMY, an Amsterdam-based global impact organisation, empowers businesses, cities and nations with practical and scalable solutions to put the circular economy into action.
- The vision is an economic system that ensures the planet and all people can thrive.
- To avoid climate breakdown, the goal is to double global circularity by 2032.
WHAT THEY SAID:
The transition to a circular textiles economy is extremely slow in spite of the technologies and know-how we have available in 2024. This is well illustrated and quantified in the report, which reveals the industry's current circularity rate of an alarming 0.3%. This underlines the urgent need for serious global efforts to level the playing field for sustainable and circular practices and speed up policymaking.
— Dr Kerli Kant Hvass
Assistant Professor / Circular Economy / Department of Sustainability and Planning
Aalborg University
The sobering results of this report underscore the significance of demand-side measures once more, as they truly lay bare the flaws of the current system. This calls for strong action to boost circularity while ultimately limiting overall volumes of production and consumption, which outpace such advancements in circularity. Community-led local solutions to global challenges, as well as regulatory frameworks, are what we need now to address the fact that over 99% of the materials needed for global textiles manufacturing still originate from primary sources.
— Esra Tat
Executive Director
Zero Waste Europe
This comprehensive report on the circularity of the global textile industry is the first of its kind, offering valuable insights into the status quo. It is alarming to see that the industry is only 0.3% circular, highlighting the urgent need for measures to improve the state of the industry, tackle climate change, support sustainable production practices, reduce waste, promote resource efficiency and advance textile circularity.
— Anna Pehrsson
R&D and Partnerships Lead
Texaid
A circular economy for textiles is not inevitable, but it is achievable. The Circularity Gap Report Textiles provides a comprehensive examination of the state of play today, revealing that ultimately, we’re only at the starting line (0.3%). The Circularity Gap Report Textiles combines this first-of-its kind analysis with a set of actionable scenarios and priority areas that could genuinely help to propel the industry forwards in the race towards a circular textiles economy.
— Cyndi Rhoades
Founder / former CEO
Worn Again Technologies CEO / Circle-8 Textile Ecosystems
