Fashions' Plastic Paralysis

The report finds that synthetic fibres account for 69% of textile production and are projected to reach 73% by 2030. An evaluation of 50 major brands reveals a trend of increasing corporate secrecy, with 54% failing to respond fully to the survey. Most brands (45 out of 50) are categorized as 'trailing behind' or in the 'red zone' due to high synthetic usage and low transparency. The report highlights that brands use tactics similar to the fossil fuel industry, such as citing a 'need for more research' to delay action and using industry initiatives like The Microfibre Consortium (TMC) as a cover for inaction. Furthermore, the report criticizes the reliance on recycled polyester from plastic bottles as a 'false solution' that does not address microplastic pollution. Finally, it notes weak industry support for upcoming EU legislation and the global plastic pollution treaty, suggesting a preference for maintaining the status quo of the fast fashion model.

• Synthetic fibres, primarily derived from fossil fuels, dominate textile production at 69% and are expected to increase to 73% by 2030. Polyester is the most used synthetic fibre and had a climate footprint of 125 million tonnes of CO2e emissions in 2022.
• The fashion industry is a major contributor to global plastic pollution, generating 8.3 million tonnes in 2019, which represented 14% of total pollution across all sectors. Microplastics from textiles like polyester and nylon are linked to severe health issues, including chronic inflammation, heart disease, and impaired lung tissue repair.
• Corporate transparency regarding synthetic fibre use is declining; 54% of the 50 surveyed brands failed to respond in part or full, compared to 17% in 2021. Only two companies, Reformation and Hugo Boss, were categorized as 'leading the shift', while 29 brands—including Patagonia, Adidas, LVMH, and Walmart—were placed in the 'red zone' for minimal or no transparency.
• Specific brands show high levels of synthetic dependency: Shein had the highest share of synthetic fibres in its portfolio at 82%, followed by Boohoo (69%) and Lululemon (67%). Inditex recorded the highest volume of synthetic use at 212,886 tonnes in 2023.
• Many brands are increasing their use of synthetics despite public pledges to reduce them. For example, between 2022 and 2024, Inditex increased synthetic volume by 20% and polyester share by 26%, while Esprit raised total synthetic volume by 15%.
• The industry employs 'delay and distract' tactics, such as claiming a need for more research to postpone action (cited by 34% of respondents) and using memberships in initiatives like The Microfibre Consortium (TMC) to appear proactive without phasing out synthetics.
• The use of recycled polyester from plastic bottles is identified as a misleading strategy because it disrupts the bottle-to-bottle recycling loop and does not solve microplastic pollution. 82% of surveyed companies pledge only to reduce virgin synthetics rather than phasing out all plastics.
• There is weak industry support for binding regulation; only 22% of responding companies supported all listed measures in the EU Textiles Strategy and the global plastic pollution treaty. Inditex opposed all measures except for the inclusion of microplastic emissions in the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF).

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2024). Fashions' Plastic Paralysis. https://changingmarkets.org/report/fashions-plastic-paralysis/

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. Fashions' Plastic Paralysis. 2024. https://changingmarkets.org/report/fashions-plastic-paralysis/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=Fashions' Plastic Paralysis |date=17 September 2024 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/report/fashions-plastic-paralysis/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2024fashions, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{Fashions' Plastic Paralysis}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/report/fashions-plastic-paralysis/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }