The fashion industry is facing a major reckoning — and it’s not just about trends or styles. A new report has revealed that global clothing production is climbing fast, and so are the harmful effects that come with it.
From cheap polyester-based garments to overproduction in the fast-fashion world, the environmental cost of our clothing habits is growing — and it’s adding up quickly.
What’s happening?
The Apparel Impact Institute’s latest annual report, Taking Stock of Progress Against the Roadmap to Net Zero 2025, shows that pollution from the fashion industry rose by 7.5% in 2023 — the first year-over-year increase since tracking began in 2019.
The industry now produces 944 million tons of heat-trapping pollution annually, accounting for nearly 2% of global harmful carbon pollution.
Two major drivers of this spike?
A surge in fast-fashion production and heavy use of virgin polyester — a synthetic fiber made from fossil fuels that now makes up 57% of all textile fiber production.
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Online giants like Shein are a key part of the problem, churning out new styles at lightning speed that are often designed to deteriorate quickly, leading to more clothing waste.
Why is this trend concerning?
Beyond the harmful pollution, the fast-fashion model creates mountains of textile waste every year. Much of this clothing is made to be worn just a few times before falling apart, ultimately ending up in landfills or even polluting our natural landscapes and oceans.
Because polyester isn’t biodegradable, the waste sticks around for hundreds of years, releasing microplastics into the environment along the way.
This model isn’t just wasteful — it’s unsustainable. The fashion sector’s pollution levels are pulling it further away from its 2030 goal of reducing its environmental footprint, let alone hitting longer-term goals like net zero by 2050.
What’s being done about it?
There are promising signs of progress. Over 600 companies in the industry have pledged to reduce their pollution, and several are already making meaningful strides.
H&M cut its upstream pollution by 23% since 2019, while major suppliers like Artistic Milliners and Elevate Textiles have invested millions into renewable energy and pollution reductions.
On an individual level, consumers can help by shifting toward the circular economy — a system that focuses on reusing, repairing, and reselling rather than buying new. Thrifting is not only budget-friendly, but it also reduces waste and demand for new production.
Programs like ThredUp’s Clean Out Kit or Levi’s denim buyback offer easy ways to earn cash or store credit for your old clothes. Even repairing or upcycling your favorite pair of jeans can help keep textiles out of landfills.
The takeaway? While the numbers are troubling, there’s still time to change the story — and every conscious decision you make helps move the needle toward a more sustainable future.
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