The Future of Synthetics calls on the fashion, apparel, and textile industry to rapidly divest from new fossil fuel extraction to make synthetic materials, providing brands with guidance on how to do so.

The Future of Synthetics acknowledges that it will be critical for the industry to stop bringing new virgin fossil fuel-derived materials into the supply chain if it is to cut the greenhouse gas emissions currently associated with synthetic fibers and meet its climate targets.

With this report, we are advocating for increased interest and investment into the technologies that will facilitate the rapid substitution of fossil fuel-derived synthetics. A core recognition is that having viable alternatives available will enable the industry to realistically divest, unlocking this critical emissions reduction opportunity.

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The Future of Synthetics dives into the technologies and infrastructure that will facilitate the rapid substitution of virgin fossil fuel-derived synthetic materials to preferred solutions such as textile-to-textile recycling, biosynthetics, and carbon capture.

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Discover the key takeaways

• Synthetic materials have dominated global fiber production since the mid-1990s. Polyester alone contributed the highest amount of GHG emissions of any single fiber in 2022, with 47 million tonnes of fiber responsible for an estimated 125 million tonnes of CO2e.

• However, a total shift away from synthetics to land-based raw materials – particularly at current production rates – could lead to an overreliance on and depletion of natural ecosystems. Additionally, the industry must find ways to repurpose existing synthetic textile waste, acknowledging the energy and emissions spent making these materials.

• Recognizing these realities, Textile Exchange advocates for a dual approach: identifying and investing in alternative ways to create synthetic materials using recycled or sustainably sourced renewable feedstocks, while also reducing the volume of new materials produced overall.

• Today, the mechanical recycling of PET plastic bottles is the most common alternative to virgin polyester. However, the industry must invest in scaling textile-to-textile recycling technologies for synthetics to create a truly closed-loop system, rather than relying on feedstocks from another industry.

• In addition to textile-to-textile recycling, the report looks at the more nascent opportunities associated with biosynthetics and carbon capture technologies, and their potential to help brands divest from fossil fuel extraction.

Read our case studies on bringing alternative materials to market

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Bringing Textile-to-Textile Recycled Polyester to Market with (…)

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Scaling Biobased Nylon with Geno and lululemon

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Using Carbon Capture to Replace Fossil-Based Polyester Feedstocks (…)

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The post The Future of Synthetics appeared first on Textile Exchange.

The Materials Market Report has been the leading source for global fiber and materials production volumes for the last decade.

The Materials Market Report report helps inform the textile industry’s efforts to reduce emissions associated with raw material production in line with a 1.5-degree temperature rise pathway.

The latest report – which includes materials produced for the fashion, textile, and apparel industry as well as for other industries – shows that global fiber production increased from around 112 million tonnes in 2021 to a record 116 million tonnes in 2022. This is expected to grow to 147 million tonnes in 2030 if business continues as usual.

The percentage of natural fibers produced via programs with sustainability elements slightly increased in 2022, including cotton (25% in 2021 to 27% in 2022) and wool (3% in 2021 to 4.3% in 2022). However, the production of virgin fossil-based synthetic fibers also rose from 63 million tonnes to 67 million tonnes. Polyester continues to be the most widely produced fiber globally, making up 54% of production in 2022.

After years of growth, the combined share of all recycled fibers slightly decreased from around 8.5% in 2021 to 7.9% in 2022. This was mainly due to a decrease in the market share of recycled polyester – 99% of which was made from plastic bottles – from 15% in 2021 down to 14% in 2022. Reasons for this decrease include the growing competition for PET bottles as feedstock along with the systematic challenges in scaling textile-to-textile recycling. Less than 1% of the global fiber market came from pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles in 2022.

The findings illustrate a need to speed up the overall shift to fibers from preferred sources, to “double down” on efforts to rapidly reduce the use of virgin fossil-based materials, and to invest in strategies that decouple value creation from the extraction of new materials overall.

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Our Materials Market Report is freely available to all.

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Discover the key takeaways

• Global fiber production per person has increased from 8.3 kilograms in 1975 to 14.6 kilograms per person in 2022.
  
• Polyester production volumes increased from 61 million tonnes in 2021 to 63 million tonnes in 2022. Polyester continues to be the most widely produced fiber, making up 54% of the global market in 2022.
  
• Cotton from the programs recognized by the 2025 Sustainable Cotton Challenge returned to 27% of total cotton production in 2021/22. This followed a decline to 25% in 2020/21 due to a variety of factors, including weather variations, changes to the Better Cotton program, market conditions, and socio-political challenges.
  
• Wool produced according to the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), ZQ, SustainaWOOL (GREEN and GOLD), and Climate Beneficial increased from around 3% in 2021 to 4.3% in 2022. This was as high as 74% in the Falkland Islands, 53% in South Africa, 35% in Uruguay, and 21% in Argentina.
  
• Manmade cellulosic fibers certified by FSC- and/or PEFC had an estimated market share of about 60-65% of all MMCFs in 2022.
  
• Recycled textiles’ market share slightly decreased from around 8.5% in 2021 to 7.9% in 2022. Pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles accounted for less than 1% of the total global fiber market in 2022.

The post Materials Market Report 2023 appeared first on Textile Exchange.

Fashion, textile, and apparel companies are intrinsically responsible for protecting biodiversity. 

The world is currently experiencing a severe “biodiversity crisis.” This is primarily caused by human activity, leading to what scientists refer to as the “sixth mass extinction.” In 2023, biodiversity loss was recognized as the fourth-biggest long-term global risk by the World Economic Forum.

While the industry’s sustainability efforts have mainly been focused on climate action, organizations are increasingly recognizing that climate and nature are two sides of the same coin. Since so many of the materials used by the fashion, textile, apparel, and footwear industry come from the land, companies have a vital opportunity to not only reduce harm and mitigate risk, but to actively protect, restore, and regenerate natural ecosystems. 

The Biodiversity Landscape Analysis for the Fashion, Apparel, Textile, and Footwear Industry was created by Textile Exchange and the Fashion Pact, in partnership with Conservation International and supported by Biodiversify – aiming to align companies on their journeys toward protecting and restoring nature.

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Focusing on raw materials produced in agricultural systems, the report synthesizes the broad state of play on biodiversity action in the industry. It aims to spur companies forward with relevant methods and actions by consolidating and condensing the wealth of tools, methods, frameworks, and standards available. 

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Discover the key takeaways

• Fashion depends on nature. While sourcing decisions directly impact biodiversity, companies also have an opportunity to protect, restore, and regenerate it. Doing so is vital to securing a more resilient future—not just for the sake of the industry and the fibers and raw materials it sources, but for Earth’s ecosystems too.
  
  
• Targets can help guide the direction of travel. The Biodiversity Landscape Analysis is intended to complement the initial and forthcoming technical guidance on setting biodiversity targets and strategies currently under development within the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN). 
  
  
• Diversity in perspectives and on-the-ground input is key. Drawing on interviews with a range of industry players, including farmers, suppliers, supplier groups, brands, certification organizations, consultants, and more, the report helps companies understand core definitions and concepts, as well as how to apply them to achieve positive biodiversity outcomes.
  
  
• There is no single solution, but there are some common next steps to take. Going forward, Textile Exchange, The Fashion Pact, and Conservation International call on companies to take a science-based approach to inform decisions; recognize the need to act on a landscape level – considering the areas in need of protection, restoration, and regeneration; accept that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for biodiversity; and take a continuous improvement approach, building strategic collaborations at all levels to enable impact at scale. 

Learn more about biodiversity

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We have a unique opportunity to grow a beneficial fiber hemp production system from the soil up  

Since its recent legalization in countries around the world, the global textile industry is increasingly turning to hemp, celebrating the plant’s ability to enhance soil health, support biodiversity, suppress weeds, and increase yields among subsequent crops – all while relying on little or no inputs. 

Fiber hemp holds strong sustainability potential, but as it gains popularity, it is vital that we look at how it is grown. This means taking on board lessons learned from other fiber crops, where heavy synthetic pesticide and fertilizer use have become the norm.  

At this early stage, the industry has a unique opportunity to shape fiber hemp standards from the soil up, setting up systems that maximize measurable benefits for the climate, ecosystems, and communities. 

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Growing Hemp for the Future: A Global Fiber Guide looks at the production of fiber hemp around the world, identifying its benefits and concerns, providing recommendations to guide fiber hemp programs toward a resilient future. 

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Discover the key takeaways

• Unlike other popular crops which have become reliant on synthetic pesticides, biological pesticides are to date the primary pesticides that governments have permitted for use on fiber hemp.
  
  
• Research is underway to add additional conventional pesticides to the limited fiber hemp pest management toolkit. In some countries, pesticides that meet the United Nation’s “Highly Hazardous” definition have already been approved for use on hemp. Availability and use of synthetic pesticides is likely to expand without industry commitment to the precautionary principle – exploring alternatives to possible harmful actions. 
  
  
• Significant improvements need to be made to undertake and make public data that supports sustainability statements and identifies fiber hemp production regions and quantities.
  
  
• While data is incomplete, the leading hemp fiber countries by volume appear to be France, China, North Korea (estimated), Poland, and the United States.
  
  
• Sixty years of data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (1961-2021) indicates that 2021 fiber hemp production by volume was approximately the same level as in 1961 but grown on far less land with far greater efficiency, resulting in higher yields. 

Learn more about hemp

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The post Growing Hemp for the Future: A Global Fiber Guide  appeared first on Textile Exchange.

Textile Exchange’s Regenerative Agriculture Outcome Framework lays out the key indicators that make for a regenerative system – encouraging collaboration by including expectations for both brands and growers. 

Sponsored by CottonConnect, J.Crew Group, and Kering, the Regenerative Agriculture Outcome Framework aims to help the fashion, textile, and apparel industry align on outcomes for assessing the holistic benefits of regenerative agriculture. It is designed to respect the inherent place-based nature of these agricultural systems while shifting the industry’s focus from the avoidance of negative outcomes to the achievement of measurable, beneficial ones instead.

This open-source, fully documented framework draws on rigorous research and synthesis of work from other outcome frameworks, related sector methodologies (such as Science Based Targets for Nature and the GHG Protocol), and scientific literature. Most importantly, it respects and centers local farm community knowledge.

The framework is designed to be applicable worldwide in cropping, grazing, and agroforestry systems and to assess outcomes across a range of fibers, farm scales, and geographic contexts. It includes a specific focus on smallholder farmers and resource-limited farming. One of the framework’s defining principles is that brands must collaborate on outcome measurement with growers.

Identifying which indicators represent regenerative outcomes

In 2022, Textile Exchange released the Regenerative Agriculture Landscape Analysis. This landmark report helped us establish a clear position on the key categories of indicators that textile value chain partners should be using to assess whether a project or program is following a regenerative approach and, importantly, whether it is generating beneficial outcomes over time.

Now, our Regenerative Outcome Framework takes this a step further by providing a common reference point to set that work in motion. We believe that creating further alignment on which indicators to track, and laying some initial groundwork on how this might be done, is a critical step to speed progress on regenerative agriculture in a way that supports farm communities.

Rather than providing a list of boxes to tick, we are offering a flexible, context-adaptable framework for outcome measurement. It reflects the consensus outlined in the Regenerative Agriculture Landscape Analysis that regenerative agriculture cannot be defined in a single standard. It also answers the call for the industry to take an approach that includes the development of equitable partnerships with farming communities.

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Read the Regenerative Agriculture Landscape Analysis

The Regenerative Agriculture Landscape Analysis provides the fashion and textile industry a resource to credibly understand, implement and describe the benefits of work in this space. It emphasizes regenerative agriculture’s roots in Indigenous and Native practices and promotes a holistic approach that puts humans and ecosystems at the center.

A key principle of the Regenerative Agriculture Outcome Framework is that producers are not expected to bear responsibility for monitoring for regenerative outcomes on their own. To emphasize the sharing of this work, we have organized indicators into farm-level and brand-level categories. We also include a section for fundamental brand-level expectations that should be in place before projects or programs are considered, or claimed, to be regenerative.

We have developed this first pilot version through a rigorous, research-based, and collaborative process, and Textile Exchange Round Table Working Groups will begin testing it from summer 2023. Additional companies, project developers, and farm groups are also welcome to test the framework and help us refine it in future versions.

Contact regenagcop@textileexchange.org for more details and to be involved.

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The post In-Conversion to Organic Cotton: The Basics appeared first on Textile Exchange.

We’re addressing the root causes of integrity issues across the sector.

Building on two decades of work championing organic cotton, we’re setting out to bring greater integrity to the sector by outlining the concrete steps that organizations can take to recognize fraud, fight it, and prevent it from happening in the first place. In this report, we strive to go beyond exploring integrity to focus on practical guidance so that our members can confront a major sector challenge and protect trust in organic—a vital way of tackling the climate crisis.

Key takeaways

1. Integrity is critically important to the organic cotton supply chain, but upholding it is difficult, and threats to integrity often evolve. Failing to address integrity as a major sector challenge risks damaging trust in organic cotton.
2. Fraud occurs most often where financial pressure, opportunity, and the potential for rationalization meet. This can be a result of underinvestment, the presence of loopholes, and the perception among supply chain partners that their efforts or the risks they’re taking are not being rewarded fairly.
3. One way to prevent fraud is by putting restrictions in place and reviewing them frequently. But it is essential to get to the root cause of the problem, not just manage the symptoms. This means helping others through education, to recognize it, address it, and remediate the challenges that cause it to happen in the first place.
4. To fight fraud effectively and build a robust system of integrity, organizations need to go beyond building compliance through standards and certification towards achieving traceability for organic content, improving incentives for supply chain partners, and collaborating with others.
5. Organizations can start now by reviewing and mapping their supply networks to see where there are vulnerabilities to fraud, and then introduce and embed an anti-fraud and integrity policy. By monitoring the success of this strategy, organizations can then make adjustments and refinements. This should be part of adopting a policy of continuous learning and improvement.

The post Strengthening Integrity in Organic Cotton 2022 appeared first on Textile Exchange.

The post 2025 Sustainable Cotton Challenge Report appeared first on Textile Exchange.

We’re helping the industry access meaningful data on the production of different materials.

Our annual Materials Market Report pulls together data on the production volumes and availability of different fibers and raw materials, as well as sharing insights on emerging fiber trends. We share these numbers publicly to give fashion and textile companies a clear picture of how their sourcing decisions translate.

The report collects data from government agencies, certification and accreditation bodies, and independent organizations. We do this work to show the industry where change needs to happen and accelerate action, helping companies to discover sourcing opportunities and pinpoint challenges.

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Our Preferred Fiber and Materials Market Report is freely available to all.

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The post Preferred Fiber and Materials Market Report 2022 appeared first on Textile Exchange.