Synthetics Anonymous

The report finds that the fashion industry remains heavily dependent on fossil-fuel-based synthetic fibres, with 67% of analysed products containing synthetics. It highlights a systemic lack of transparency and the use of 'downcycling' PET bottles as a false solution to circularity. The research exposes rampant greenwashing, with 59% of sustainability claims flouting UK CMA guidelines, and notes a critical industry blind spot regarding microplastic pollution, particularly in children's clothing.

• The fashion industry is heavily dependent on synthetic fibres, which represent 69% of all materials used in textiles and are projected to reach nearly 75% by 2030.
• No fashion brand analysed has made a clear commitment to phase out synthetic fibres from their collections, and only six companies expressed a desire to avoid or reduce them.
• Brands predominantly rely on downcycling PET bottles into polyester as a sustainability solution, which the report argues is a 'false solution' because it does not enable true fibre-to-fibre circularity.
• An analysis of 4,028 products from 12 brands showed that 67% contained synthetics, with an average synthetic composition of 53% for those garments.
• Greenwashing is widespread; 39% of studied products had sustainability claims, and 59% of those claims flouted UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) guidelines.
• Dedicated 'sustainable' collections often contain high levels of synthetics; for example, H&M's Conscious Collection has a higher percentage of synthetics (72%) than its main collection (61%).
• The fashion industry largely ignores the risks of microplastic pollution, often delaying action by calling for more research or focusing on end-of-pipe solutions like filters.
• There is a concerning trend of high synthetic fibre use in children's clothing, particularly among North American brands like Walmart and Forever 21.
• Fibre-to-fibre recycling remains negligible, representing only 0.1% to 1% of material use, indicating a lack of investment in true closed-loop systems.

APA

Trunk, U., Harding-Rolls, G., Banegas, X., Urbancic, N., & Nguyen, A. (2021). Synthetics Anonymous. Changing Markets Foundation. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CM-Synthetics-Anonymous-online-format.pdf

Chicago

Trunk, Urska, George Harding-Rolls, Ximena Banegas, Nusa Urbancic, and Amy Nguyen. Synthetics Anonymous. Changing Markets Foundation, 2021. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CM-Synthetics-Anonymous-online-format.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Trunk |first1=Urska |last2=Harding-Rolls |first2=George |last3=Banegas |first3=Ximena |last4=Urbancic |first4=Nusa |last5=Nguyen |first5=Amy |title=Synthetics Anonymous |publisher=Changing Markets Foundation |date=June 2021 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CM-Synthetics-Anonymous-online-format.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{trunk2021synthetics, author = {Trunk, Urska and Harding-Rolls, George and Banegas, Ximena and Urbancic, Nusa and Nguyen, Amy}, title = {{Synthetics Anonymous}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2021}, month = jun, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CM-Synthetics-Anonymous-online-format.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }