Carbon Footprint of Fashion
The fashion and textiles industry has a significant environmental impact, contributing to carbon emissions, textile waste, and water pollution. While it was once believed to account for 10% of global carbon emissions, recent research shows it’s closer to 1.8%, making it the third-largest industrial polluter. To meet sustainability goals, initiatives like WRAP’s Textile 2030 aim to reduce the carbon footprint by 50% by 2030, focusing on circular fashion, recycling, and shifts in consumer behaviour. Despite progress, the industry must make stronger efforts to achieve these targets and mitigate its environmental impact.
Carbon Footprint of Fashion
The fashion and textiles industry plays a major role in environmental damage. It has a substantial environmental footprint, with CO2 emissions released at every stage—from raw material extraction to manufacturing and transportation. But carbon emissions aren’t the only problem. The industry also generates an enormous amount of waste, with around 85% of all textiles ending up in landfill. On top of that, harmful dyeing processes and the release of microfibres into waterways contribute to severe water pollution.
Over time, the environmental impact of fashion has gained more attention. For years, reports suggested the industry was responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, making it the second-largest industrial polluter. However, more recent research challenges this claim. New data suggests the fashion sector actually accounts for around 1.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. While this means it is now the third-largest polluting industry—behind fossil fuels and agriculture—the issue remains urgent.
Even with these revised figures, there is still a long way to go. Initiatives like WRAP’s Textile 2030 aim to cut the carbon footprint of clothing by half by 2030. Achieving this goal requires a shift towards circular fashion, improved fibre-to-fibre recycling, and changes in consumer behaviour. These steps align with global agreements like The Paris Agreement and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which push for a more sustainable future. The overarching goal is to halve the carbon impact of clothing by 2030 through a strategic focus on circularity, fibre-to-fibre recycling, and encouraging shifts in consumer behaviour.
Despite setting ambitious sustainability targets, the fashion industry continues to struggle with high emissions. Every year, it contributes roughly 897 million tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. While figures on fashion’s exact environmental impact may vary, one thing is clear: the industry must take stronger action. Achieving sustainability will require collaboration, innovation, and urgent changes to how clothing is produced, consumed, and disposed of.
