Consumption of textiles per person has gone up from 17 kg in 2019 to 19 kg in 2022, according to research from the European Environment Agency (EEA).
The ‘Circularity of the EU Textiles Value Chain in Numbers’ report outlines that in order to fulfil European Union (EU) measures to improve the circularity of the textiles industry, a ‘systemic shift’ is needed to reduce consumption and increase product sustainability.
The table below shows the breakdown of textiles consumption trends since 2010, with 2022 showing the highest amount of consumption of household textiles and footwear.
| 2010 | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 | 2018 | 2020 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumption of household textiles (kg per person) | 5.64 | 4.26 | 4.85 | 5.22 | 5.82 | 6.24 | 6.58 |
| Consumption of footwear (kg per person) | 3.34 | 2.89 | 3.24 | 2.95 | 3.31 | 2.55 | 4.41 |
| Consumption of clothing (kg per person) | 8.36 | 6.93 | 7.66 | 7.83 | 8.15 | 6.00 | 7.95 |
| Total consumption (kg per person) | 17.34 | 14.08 | 15.75 | 16.00 | 17.28 | 14.69 | 18.94 |
Table 1: EU-27 Apparent consumption of clothing, footwear, and household textiles, 2010-2022
The report suggests that although new technologies, such as 3D printing, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI) have the capacity to improve the efficiency of the sector, they have also increased consumption by enabling cheaper production costs and lower prices.
According to data from the EEA’s Circularity Metrics Lab, textiles remain the fifth largest consumer of raw materials, water and land use, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, after housing, food, personal mobility, and restaurants and hotels.
Raw materials usage by the textile supply chain
In 2022, 234 million tonnes of raw materials were used to produce all clothing, footwear and household textiles consumed by EU households, two thirds of which were extracted or produced outside of Europe.
After a decrease of approximately 24 per cent between 2010 and 2016, the use of raw materials remained stable, with a slight increase in 2022. However, the data also suggests that the amount of raw material used per volume of consumption has decreased.
Greenhouse gas emissions are declining
The value chain of textiles products also caused a total of 159 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents to be emitted in 2022, similar to the level of emissions released by restaurants and hotels, and recreation and cultural sites.
Around 70 per cent of these emissions were released outside of Europe, mostly in Asia where the majority of textile production takes place.
From 2010 to 2022, overall GHG emissions from textile consumption decreased due to efficiency gains, with an overall 32 per cent reduction in the amount of emissions per volume of consumption.
How much water and land was used by the textiles industry?
According to the EEA, around 5,300 million cubic metres of water was required to produce clothing, footwear, and household textiles purchased by EU households in 2022. These levels have remained almost constant since 2010, suggesting that any decrease in the intensity of water use was offset by increased consumption.
A large share of this water was used to irrigate cotton fields to produce natural fibres, with the production of textiles requiring around 144,000 km² of land, an increase of three per cent since 2010.
Approximately 85 per cent of water use and 80 per cent of land use took place outside Europe, predominantly in Asia.
Environmental pressures caused by textiles consumption
The report also notes that the textiles value chain contributes to a number of other environmental pressures, including air pollution, chemical use and pollution, microplastic pollution, and the handling of textile waste.
Of particular concern is the increasing health and environmental risks associated with microplastics such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) which have been used to repel water, oil and dirt in clothing. A recent study from Le Monde suggested that addressing PFAS contamination could cost Europe up to €2 trillion over the next 20 years.
Textile waste levels have remained relatively stable since 2016, with EU member states generating around 6.94 million tonnes in 2022. However, capture rate for textile waste remains low, with 85 per cent of it ending up in mixed household waste.
The report suggests that the incoming separate collection system for used textiles, which is set to be implemented in 2025, will likely increase the capture rate, although impact on recycling will depend on export restrictions that ensure that textile waste is being recycled rather than landfilled or incinerated.
The introduction of Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) should also drive improvements in collection, sorting and recycling in order to increase the share of textiles that contain recycled fibres. Monitoring of waste will be crucial in this goal, says the EEA, with the lack of transparent data making it difficult to effectively assess the evolution of these metrics.
