Global fibre production has reached a record high, primarily due to growth in the production of virgin fossil fuel-based synthetics. That’s the harrowing takeaway from Textile Exchange’s 12th annual Materials Market report, which tracks global fibre and raw material production volumes.
The global non-profit, which aims to catalyse a 45 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from fibre and raw material production by 2030, published the report on Thursday alongside a stark warning: the industry must change course to meet its climate goals.
In 2024, global fibre production increased to 132 million tonnes, up from 125 million in 2023. Accounting for most of that growth is polyester, the production of which grew from 71 million tonnes to 78 million tonnes — reaching 59 per cent of global fibre production, up from 57 per cent the year prior. Synthetics as a category now represent 69 per cent (up from 67 per cent), despite continued campaigning and lobbying to curb the use of fossil fuel-based materials.
As fibre production increases, so do emissions. According to modelling carried out by Textile Exchange, the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the total production of raw materials for the apparel, home textiles and footwear industries have risen 20 per cent over the past five years. Again, polyester is the headline concern, accounting for approximately 43 per cent of total GHG impact due to the high volumes produced.
While all fibres have multiple impacts — running the gamut from pesticide use and land clearance for natural fibres to methane emissions from fibre-producing animals — synthetics rely on non-renewable feedstocks, posing an acute concern during a period where fossil fuel use should ideally be decreasing to ensure emissions peak before 2025, per globally agreed climate targets. Some 88 per cent of polyester is fossil fuel-based, versus 12 per cent recycled PET (mainly plastic bottles), and a mere 0.01 per cent are bio-based alternatives using feedstocks such as corn and sugarcane.
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As the fashion industry struggles against economic headwinds spanning tariffs and supply chain volatility, polyester represents a cost-effective choice in the short term. But experts say the cost is simply kicked down the road, as polyester carries such a negative environmental footprint, ultimately threatening future business resilience. “When it comes down to what the cheapest material is, it’s virgin polyester, so that of course is going to be used when margin is the main consideration. I think there is a rise in ultra-fast fashion that’s using very low-cost materials, primarily virgin polyester, because it’s the cheapest out there,” says Textile Exchange chief impact officer Beth Jensen. Polyester consumption has grown in step with the rise of fast fashion, says Jensen, but Textile Exchange is trying to improve its modelling to prove this out.
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The report’s latest estimates point to the apparel industry being the largest user by volume of cotton, wool and other animal fibres, polyester and polyamide, and manmade cellulosic fibres such as viscose. With more accurate data will come more accurate calculations for GHG impact, says Jensen. “We know that the fashion apparel textile sector isn’t solely responsible for the continued uptick in virgin polyester production [30 to 60 per cent is estimated to be used for apparel, 20 to 35 per cent for home textiles and the rest for various other applications from medical products to footwear]. It’s about getting a handle on how much of it is actually attributable to our industry.”
Tackling growth
Though Textile Exchange cannot yet link the fashion industry to specific GHG impacts from specific fibres, the report does underscore a complaint that’s dogged fashion in recent years: the industry’s growth imperative is out of step with the climate action needed.
While recycled polyester production increased by 400,000 tonnes between 2023 and 2024, which Jensen highlights as a bright spot in this year’s report, its overall market share decreased, overshadowed by the astronomical growth of its virgin counterpart.
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Alongside its Materials Market report, Textile Exchange released data from its Materials Benchmark report, which is submitted directly by participating brands. This tells a more positive story. Among the 423 participating brands, the share of raw materials certified under sustainability programmes increased from 58 per cent in 2023 to 67 per cent in 2024, and the use of virgin fossil fuel-based polyester decreased from 637,388 tonnes to 560,029 tonnes. “I’m encouraged to see real progress in our community as reporting companies are increasing their use of certified raw materials and reducing their reliance on virgin fossil-based polyester. The challenge now is to take this progress to scale,” said Textile Exchange CEO Claire Bergkamp in a statement accompanying the release.
Without meaningful scale, concentrated sustainability efforts — including substituting virgin synthetics for certified or recycled fibres — are simply being outpaced by ballooning resource consumption. In its 2020 report, Textile Exchange estimated that global fibre production would reach 146 million tonnes by 2030 under a business-as-usual scenario. Now, it puts that figure at 169 million tonnes.
The organisation has done some early modelling to understand the impact of growth rates, says Jensen, however, it does not yet have specific tipping points to publish. But there is one definite. “We are not going to be able to substitute our way out of growth. If production of new, fossil-based materials continues to go up, there is no way to substitute enough,” she says.
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