Signatories to the United Nations’ Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action have made some progress in areas such as publicly reporting on their efforts but still have a long way to go, according to a new report.
Polyester (PET) is the most widely used fiber in the apparel industry, accounting for around 52 percent of the total volume of fibers produced globally. The apparel industry accounts for around 32 million tons of the 57 million tons of polyester used each year. Currently, only approximately 14 percent of this comes from recycled inputs – predominantly from post-consumer PET.
Recycled polyester has a significantly lower carbon footprint than conventional. To stay within the 1.5-degree pathway as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we need to bring the share of mechanically recycled (or equivalent) fiber/filament within the polyester market from 14 percent to 90 percent by 2030. By 2025, rPET or equivalent needs to comprise at least 45 percent of fashion’s polyester market – this is equivalent to roughly 17.1 million metric tons of fiber (assuming a 3 percent growth rate of the apparel industry). The 17.1 million metric tons recycled are intended to replace virgin synthetic feedstocks rather than cannibalize other fiber categories or justify increased industry growth.
Today, mechanically recycled polyester from plastic water bottles makes up the vast majority of recycled polyester; however, chemical recycling, textile-to-textile recycling, and other innovative technologies will be a necessary part of reaching our goal. More data is needed on the GHG reductions associated with other innovative synthetic alternatives and that even with less significant reductions compared to mechanical recycling, they will be a key part of a market transformation away from fossil fuels. There is a need to continue to explore roadmap scenarios as impact data evolves and as the textile-to-textile recycling market matures.
The report, from UN Climate Change and CDP, highlights several significant shortcomings and makes a series of recommendations aimed at getting more companies to comply with charter requirements.
CPD data showed that less than half of signatories – 45 percent – were currently compliant with setting public climate targets needed to keep global warming below 1.5C in line with the Paris Agreement.
China is the world’s textile industry powerhouse, and many of the signatories to this initiative source from the country. The major challenge will be to find suppliers whose factories use electricity derived from alternatives to coal.
That’s because in 2022, permits to build new coal-fired power plants in China accelerated dramatically. According to a report from Global Energy Monitor in February, the coal power capacity starting construction in China was six times as large as that in all the rest of the world combined.
The 2025 Recycled Polyester goal is a challenge for the fashion industry
