The report Fossil Fashion: The Hidden Reliance of Fashion on Fossil Fuels estimates that due to the increasing use of synthetic fibres in the industry – mainly in fast fashion – the market share of these fibres will rise from 69 to 73% in the next ten years – 85% of which will be polyester. While the footprint of polyester production in 2015 was equivalent to 700 million tonnes of CO2, this figure is expected to almost double by 2030″.
While the Green Deal, set up by the European Commission, has launched a roadmap on the future of textiles with the aim of ensuring the circular revival of the industry: “The initiative will propose actions to adapt the textile ecosystem to the circular economy, tackling weaknesses regarding sustainable production, sustainable lifestyles, the presence of substances of concern, improving the collection and recycling of textile waste in the Member States and strengthening the capacity of structures”. However, the Changing Markets Foundation reiterated that “recycling will not solve the problem of fast fashion” since with only 1% of clothes recycled into new ones, efforts to establish a stronger recycling infrastructure should not be seen as a silver bullet.
Rather, the report proposes to chart a sustainable path for the industry. “Legislators can play a key role in the fashion industry’s transition to a circular economy by promoting the development of “business plans” based on the reuse of clothing and stimulating the creation of high-quality, sustainable, recyclable fashion through ambitious minimum criteria,” explained Ms Balmond of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.