If the textile industry wants to help limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, it needs to initiate drastic changes in the fiber and material market. This is the conclusion of the latest report by the industry organization Textile Exchange.
The industry is “unlikely to meet its Paris Climate Agreement targets without reducing growth in new textile fiber consumption or accelerating the transition to “preferred” fibers, materials and innovations.
Fiber production hits record
The Textile Exchange study, published in their Preferred Fibers and Materials Market Report, concludes that global fiber production will peak in 2021. 113 million tons of fibers were produced during the year. This amount is expected to reach 149 million tons by 2030.
Good to know: Fiber and material production in the textile industry was “only” 58 million tons in 2000. As the growth of the fiber and materials market will not slow down, Textile Exchange calls for rethinking the concept of “growth” and decoupling value creation from resource consumption. For example, she would like to see a reduction in the production of new fibers and, in return, an expansion of textile recycling technology.
Preferred fibers redefined
The proportion of recycled fibers in all raw materials for textile production was 8.9 percent in 2021. That’s a slight increase compared to 2020, when the share was 8.4 percent. However, the majority of recycled fiber is polyester, which is made from PET bottles. This material generally cannot be reused. Fibers made from fossil fuels still account for more than half of all fiber production, Textile Exchange reports.
Accelerating the transition to “preferred” materials will require more innovation and collaboration, according to the report. Textile Exchange is redefining “preferred” materials – as “a fiber or material that produces lasting positive outcomes and impacts on climate, nature and people through a holistic approach to the conversion of raw materials and material production systems”.
However, the market share of these preferred materials within the cotton industry fell from 27 percent in 2020 to 24 percent in 2021. The market share of recycled polyester remained almost unchanged.
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.nl.