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Material Production / Market Report 2022

Sustainability Drives Going Nowhere; Global Fibre Production at Record High; Industry on Way to Miss Paris Target

With less than 1% of the global fibre market from pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles in 2021, the untethered production will ensure that the industry does not stay within the 1.5° pathway, the Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report warns.

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5 October 2022

 4 minutes
Long Story, Cut Short
  • The COVID-19 dip is now history, with global fibre production increased to a record 113 million tonnes (MT) in 2021.
  • In the last 20 years, global fibre production has almost doubled from 58 MT in 2000 to 113 MT in 2021 and is expected to grow to 149 MT in 2030 if business as usual continues.
  • A preferred fibre or material is described as “one which results in improved environmental and/or social sustainability outcomes and impacts compared to conventional production.”
The growth in fibre production has significant impacts on people and the planet. Awareness of the urgent need for more responsible use of resources and decoupling growth from resource consumption is growing; however, change is not yet happening at the scale and speed required.
Fibrous Growth The growth in fibre production has significant impacts on people and the planet. Awareness of the urgent need for more responsible use of resources and decoupling growth from resource consumption is growing; however, change is not yet happening at the scale and speed required. Gryffyn M / Unsplash

The textiles industry is unlikely to stay within the 1.5°C pathway without reducing growth, a major acceleration of transition to preferred fibre and materials, and innovation, Textile Exchange's Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report 2022, has underlined.

  • The COVID-19 dip is now history, with global fibre production increased to a record 113 million tonnes (MT) in 2021.
  • In the last 20 years, global fibre production has almost doubled from 58 MT in 2000 to 113 MT in 2021 and is expected to grow to 149 MT in 2030 if business as usual continues.
  • The share of recycled fibres slightly increased from 8.4% in 2020 to 8.9% in 2021—mainly due to an increase in bottle-based polyester fibre.
  • Still, less than 1% of the global fibre market was from pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles in 2021.
  • Without rethinking untethered growth, the industry will not stay within the 1.5° pathway, the report has repeatedly asserted.

The report: Textile exchange's Preferred Fiber and Materials Market Report is a comprehensive annual publication which provides unique data and insights and helps the industry to measure progress towards its goals.

  • The report covers the market for the key fibres and materials, including the conventional ones and those referred to as “preferred”.
  • Textile Exchange historically defined a preferred fibre or material as “one which results in improved environmental and/or social sustainability outcomes and impacts compared to conventional production.”
  • With the window to protect the 1.5°C pathway narrowing by the day, Textile Exchange is revisiting the definition to identify key indicators across climate, nature, animals, people, and governance that not only focus on reducing negative impacts but drive forward measurable beneficial outcomes too.
  • In September 2022, Textile Exchange proposed the following updated definition: "A raw fibre or material that delivers ongoing beneficial outcomes and impacts for climate, nature, and people through a holistic approach to transforming raw fibre and material production systems."
  • The development of detailed assessment criteria is scheduled for 2023.

[Note: The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at COP 21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016.vIts goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.]

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Textile Exchange's GHG emissions scenario model in the report shows the importance of rethinking growth, transitioning to preferred fibres, and innovation in order to limit global warming to 1.5° Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels.
Preferred Fibres Textile Exchange's GHG emissions scenario model in the report shows the importance of rethinking growth, transitioning to preferred fibres, and innovation in order to limit global warming to 1.5° Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. Laårk Boshoff / Unsplash

Fibre highlights:

  • The global fibre production per person increased from 8.4 kilogram per person in 1975 to 14.3 kilogram per person in 20212.
  • Synthetic fibres have dominated the fibre market since the mid-1990s, when they overtook cotton volumes. With around 72 MT of synthetic fibres, this fibre category made up approximately 64% of the global fibre production in 2021.
  • Polyester alone had a market share of around 54% of total global fibre production. Approximately 60.5 MT of polyester were produced in 2021.
  • Polyamide—the second most used synthetic fibre—accounted for 5.9 MT and approximately 5% of the global fibre market in 2021.
  • The other synthetics—polypropylene, acrylics, and elastane—had a market share of 5.2%, with a combined production volume of 5.8 MT in 2021.
  • Plant fibres, including cotton, jute, hemp, flax, and others, had a combined market share of around 28% of the global fibre market in 2021.
  • Cotton is the second most important fibre in terms of volume. With about 24.7 MT, it had a market share of approximately 22% of global fibre production in 2021.
  • Other plant-based fibres, including jute, flax, hemp, and others, had a market share of about 6%.
  • Manmade cellulosics fibres (MMCFs), with a global production volume of around 7.2 MT, had a market share of around 6.4% in 2021.
  • Animal fibres had a market share of 1.6% in 2021.
  • Wool had a market share of around 1%, with a global production volume of around 1 MT.
  • Down and feathers had a market share of around 0.5% of the global fibre market.
  • Silk had a market share of around 0.2%.
  • In 2021, the overall uptake of recycled fibres compared to the total fibre production was just around 8.5%—with 7.9% recycled polyester from plastic bottles and only around 0.6% of all fibres included all other recycled fibres. Overall, less than 1% of the global fibre market was from pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles in 2021.
Key recommendations
  • Rethink growth—the elephant in the room. Global fibre production reached an all-time high again in 2021 after a slight decline due to COVID-19 the previous year. Given this growth of the overall fibre and materials market and its impacts, it's increasingly important to rethink growth and decouple value creation from resource use.
  • Speed up the shift from conventional—particularly fossil-based—to preferred fibre and materials. More than half of global growing fibre production is fossil-based. A transition to preferred sources is a must.
  • Innovate and collaborate. Use the solutions that already exist—but also innovate and collaborate in order to accelerate progress and take the bold actions needed to scale new emerging materials and regenerative agriculture.
  • The best way to predict the future is to create it. The forecast data shared in the report is one of multiple scenarios. While these scenarios may help the industry think about potential future pathways and impacts, the future can—and must be—influenced. We need to be part of the solution to create a planet that is habitable well into the future.
  • Everybody needs to be a leader. Significant acceleration in terms of climate action is needed in order to stay within the 1.5° pathway. Everybody needs to be—and can be—part of the solution.
 
 
  • Dated posted: 5 October 2022
  • Last modified: 27 September 2024
 
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