Greenhouse gas output from the clothing sector rose in both 2023 and 2024, driven partly by a global expansion in fibre production, polyester above all, according to fresh analysis from the Apparel Impact Institute (AII).
Emissions grew by 6.3% in 2024, after a 7.5% jump in 2023. The year before that had seen a marginal fall. Data for 2024 is the latest the institute holds.
Apparel Impact Institute says 2024 emissions reached roughly one gigaton and at one gigaton, the sector’s 2024 footprint is comparable to the whole of Japan’s climate impact.
“The direction of travel is deeply worrying,” said Kurt Kipka, chief impact officer at the AII, a non-profit working to improve sustainability across the fashion industry. “It clearly points to greater consumption of materials.”
Cost remains the sticking point
Kipka singled out price as a major barrier to decarbonisation. Virgin polyester remains cheaper and easier to source than recycled alternatives, whose manufacture is itself energy-intensive, he explained.
With the Iran conflict now unsettling markets and pushing up energy prices, Kipka argued the episode underlines why garment makers must seek alternatives to oil and gas. “Renewable energy and onsite battery storage start to look a much more attractive proposition,” he said.
Separate AII research indicates the sector could see profits fall by 34% by 2030, hit by supply-chain disruption and rising operating costs, unless firms move swiftly to curb their carbon emissions.
Progress and setbacks
The industry does have achievements to cite. Apparel companies holding validated science-based climate targets, or having pledged to set them, grew from roughly 100 at the close of 2021 to over 700 by June this year.
According to the report, leading brands have posted double-digit emissions cuts and raised the proportion of recycled fibre in their garments.
Nevertheless, some operators have retreated from environmental pledges in the face of shifting politics and inflationary pressure. Earlier this year, Burberry pushed back its net-zero goal, originally set for 2040, by a decade.
Image courtesy: Fineotex
