Fossil Fashion

The report 'Fossil Fashion' details how the fast-fashion industry is fundamentally dependent on cheap synthetic fibres, primarily polyester, which are derived from oil and gas. This reliance drives overconsumption and a waste crisis, as synthetic textiles are difficult to recycle and release toxic microfibres. The document highlights the role of the petrochemical industry in betting on plastic production for future growth and criticizes industry-led sustainability metrics and 'recycled polyester' from PET bottles as greenwashing. It concludes with recommendations for the EU to implement mandatory due diligence, eco-design measures, and taxes on virgin plastics to decouple fashion from fossil fuels.

• The fashion industry is increasingly dependent on synthetic fibres, with polyester accounting for 56% of textiles used today and projected to reach 63% of total fibre production by 2030.
• Polyester production for textiles generated over 700 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2015, a figure projected to rise to 1.2 billion tonnes by 2030.
• Synthetic textiles release approximately half a million tonnes of microfibres into the ocean annually, with some studies finding these particles in human placentas and lung tissue.
• Fibre-to-fibre recycling is extremely limited, ranging from 0.1% to 1%, due to the prevalence of blended textiles and the low cost of virgin synthetics.

APA

Trunk, U., Harding-Rolls, G., Banegas, X., & Urbancic, N. (2021). Fossil Fashion. Changing Markets Foundation. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/CM-Fossil-Fashion-online-reports-layout.pdf

Chicago

Trunk, Urska, George Harding-Rolls, Ximena Banegas, and Nusa Urbancic. Fossil Fashion. Changing Markets Foundation, 2021. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/CM-Fossil-Fashion-online-reports-layout.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Trunk |first1=Urska |last2=Harding-Rolls |first2=George |last3=Banegas |first3=Ximena |last4=Urbancic |first4=Nusa |title=Fossil Fashion |publisher=Changing Markets Foundation |date=February 2021 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/CM-Fossil-Fashion-online-reports-layout.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{trunk2021fossil, author = {Trunk, Urska and Harding-Rolls, George and Banegas, Ximena and Urbancic, Nusa}, title = {{Fossil Fashion}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2021}, month = feb, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/CM-Fossil-Fashion-online-reports-layout.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }