Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Industry Score

For our environmental impact metric we have partnered with Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) to estimate the most recent annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the garment sector.

Based on the most recent data available from Cascale, Worldly, Textile Exchange and Aii, the 2024 score is estimated to be 0.879 gigatonnes (GT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). Please note that this figure is preliminary and may be subject to change in the upcoming Roadmap To Net Zero report to be published later this year by Aii.

This cycle’s score illustrates a 1% decrease in emissions compared to the first cycle. This decrease can likely be attributable to efficiency improvements within the industries supply chain. However, these improvements are offset by a growth in material demand and an increase in fibre volumes and the subsequent increase in the production of apparel and footwear items. Consequently, the progress that the apparel sector has been making can be regarded effectively as stagnant, or flat. 

To stay within a 1.5°C trajectory needed to avoid a climate disaster, the sector needs to achieve a 45% reduction by 2030 (using 2019 as a baseline year) and carbon neutrality by 2050. The 1% decrease between first cycle and the third illustrates that the industry is far from the progress needed to stay on track to limit global heating to an average of 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Keep an eye out for this year’s Roadmap To Net Zero Report by Aii. In this report, additional analysis and context to the GHG estimate will be provided. The publication of this report will also be followed by a “Deep Dive Webinar”, in which we take a closer look at the GHG metric and its implications, and will be hosted by The Industry We Want later this year.

Projected GHG emissions for the garment sector 2019 - 2030

 Our Approach

Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges facing humanity today - its effects are already being felt, impacting ecosystems and livelihoods with weather and climate extremes in all of the world. Limiting the global average temperature increase by 1.5°C is imperative in avoiding a catastrophic scenario foreseen by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Transitioning to a greener and more resilient global economy requires drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, while simultaneously changing global consumption and production patterns.  

The fashion industry – with its global scale, reliance on raw materials and having one of the largest manufacturing sectors in the world – has an critical role to play in limiting emissions to curb global heating. In order to keep temperatures within the 1.5°C increase, the industry needs to achieve an absolute reduction of 45% in emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2050.

Methodology

Until 2025, The Industry We Want, in partnership with the Apparel Impact Institute (Aii), will unveil on a yearly basis where the industry stands according to the most recent data available, presenting the total estimated emissions (carbon dioxide equivalent / CO2e) for the garment sector in gigatonnes. Aii presents this data in its Roadmap to Net Zero reports.  

The GHG score is calculated using the most widely and representative data available - fibre volume data from Textile Exchange complemented by the GHG impact data from Cascale’s Higg Materials Sustainability Index and Worldly. Since industry data is collected and analysed annually, the data presented in this year’s 2024 GHG Metric is based on fibre volume data from 2022. 

Measuring emissions in a regular and consistent way will allow us to check whether progress is being made and to hold the industry accountable for the climate targets needed to impede a disastrous scenario for the world. In the next few years, we will continue to push for collective action and collaboration and serve as a convener to keep the industry at pace to deliver on the climate goals. 

Read Aii’s most recent report (2023) on GHG estimates for the garment sector.

The Policy Changes We Want

Upcoming pieces of legislation are being initiated in the European Union, setting up new obligations for the industry. These laws will shift the industry as it moves us towards increased accountability.

  • EU Taxonomy for Sustainable Activities:
    The EU taxonomy is a classification system that provides definition of which economic activities are considered environmentally sustainable. The intention is to establish a “common language” of what “sustainable” actually means for policy makers, companies and investors. By having a stricter definition, it aims to provide security for private investors, while preventing greenwashing and fostering investments that will help the EU’s climate and energy targets for 2030. 

  • EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles:
    Also known as the EU Textiles Strategy, it is a framework that aims to assist the EU to switch to a circular and carbon-neutral economy. It contains a number of initiatives to address environmental issues on product design, production, consumption and end of use, which will lay the policy foundation to make the industry more sustainable.

  • Substantiating the Green Claims Directive and the Empowering the Consumers in Green Transition Directive:
    These two policies within the EU Textiles Strategy are related to ensure greater transparency and regulate how sustainable claims are made and presented to consumers. The initiatives will tackle greenwashing and protect consumers against misleading information by requiring companies to substantiate their impact claims under a standard methodology and requiring companies to disclose a product’s sustainability information in greater detail.

  • 2023 Amendment to the Waste Framework Directive:
    This amendment to the Waste Framework Directive requires EU Member States to set up separate collection systems of textiles by 1 January 2025. As part of this directive, the EU has made “Extended Producer Responsibility” mandatory, meaning that producers must take responsibility for the extended life cycle of their products, specifically the end-of-life costs of responsible waste and material management.

 Our Partners and Contributors

The Apparel Impact Institute identifies, funds and scales the apparel and footwear industry’s proven environmental impact solutions. Aii’s vision is a transformed industry that has a positive impact on people and the planet. 

Wordly is a comprehensive impact intelligence platform that hosts, connects with, and supports leading industry solutions and methodologies, including the Higg Index.

Textile Exchange is a global non-profit guiding a growing community of brands, manufacturers, and farmers towards more purposeful production right from the start of the supply chain.

Questions?

  • For the calculation of the TIWW GHG metric, Aii uses fibre weight data gathered by Textile’s Exchange’s Materials Market Report. For each fibre type, the allocated total fibre weight is multiplied by the GHG emissions factor for every process stage in the Higg Material Sustainability Index (MSI).

    This approach is aligned with Aii’s Roadmap to Net Zero Report. For any questions on the methodology, please email us at info@theindustrywewant.org.

  • Immediate action is vital to keep temperatures within planetary boundaries. TIWW encourages the apparel sector to start acting now to accelerate change towards a carbon-free future and to stay at pace to reach 45% absolute reductions by 2030.

    The interventions, outlined by Aii and WRI’s Roadmap to Net Zero that will help the industry to meet the climate targets are:

    • Maximise Material Efficiency (Tiers 1 to 4) by reducing material waste through design, material selection and manufacturing methods.

    • Scale sustainable materials and processes (Tier 4), meaning utilising materials that are lower on GHG emissions on a per unit basis compared with conventional alternatives.

    • Increase investment and development of next-generation materials (Tier 4), such as plant-based leathers, textile recycling, bio-based materials.

    • Maximise Energy efficiency across the manufacturing facilities (Tiers 1-3).

    • Phase out coal in Mills and Manufacturing (Tiers 1-2) switching to lower carbon alternatives as source for thermal energy, for example, concentrated solar natural gas or biomass.

    • Deploy 100% renewable energy through Tiers 1 to 3 (manufacturing).

    • Adopt circular design principles and practices throughout the lifecycle of products.