Textile Exchange’s annual Materials Market Report works to educate the textile industry so that the sector can work to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with its raw material production. More specifically, it’s in line with a 1.5-degree temperature rise pathway—the deemed dire goal enshrined by the Paris Agreement in 2016, though the international treaty has since been twice-discarded by the Trump administration.
Cast aside or not, the moment is still critical, updated insights from Textile Exchange suggest. It’s been nearly a decade since some 195 global parties promised to try and keep global temperatures below that 2-degree threshold. What’s happened since?
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An additional 34 million metric tons, for one.
Record material production—132 million metric tons in 2024—is driving up emissions, equal to four metric tons of fiber (imagine 18 bales of cotton) made every second, the sustainability trade group’s latest Materials Market Report found.
“Since then, the data shows that greenhouse gas emissions from raw material and fiber production within the apparel, home textiles and footwear industry have continued to significantly rise,” said Beth Jensen, Textile Exchange’s chief impact officer. “Each year global fiber production volumes increase to record levels.”
There is something relatively novel, the organization reported: Participation.
A record number of brands and retailers are reporting to Textile Exchange, up from 57 when it started in 2015 to 423 in 2025. Of those participants, brands and retailers—including subsidiaries—the majority are actively swapping conventional materials for certified sources (67 percent certified), avoiding high-risk sourcing areas for natural fibers and reducing use of virgin fossil-based polyester (a decrease of around 12.1 percent).
“The data we’ve released today makes clear the scale of the challenges ahead, but it also gives us a strong foundation for action,” said Claire Bergkamp, Textile Exchange’s CEO. “I’m encouraged to see real progress in our community as companies that are reporting are increasing their use of certified raw materials and reducing their reliance on virgin fossil- based polyester. The challenge now is to take this progress to scale.”
Among the subsets of brands that reported data on specific fibers and materials for both 2023 and 2024, the share of raw materials certified under sustainability programs increased from 58 percent in 2023 to 67 percent in 2024. Virgin fossil-based polyester use decreased from 637,388 metric tons in 2023 to 560,029 metric tons in 2024.
The percentage of brands that implemented measures to reduce impacts on climate and nature during raw materials production rose from 77 percent in 2023 to 81 percent in 2024. Those with formal climate targets increased from 85 percent to 88 percent year-over-year. The biggest increase in global fiber production was in fossil fuel-based synthetics, the report found, with polyester continuing to be the most widely produced fiber. It now makes up 59 percent of total global fiber output—of which 88 percent is fossil-based, per Textile Exchange.
Recycled polyester increased from around 8.9 million metric tons in 2023 to around 9.3 million metric tons in 2024—but, because of the larger increase in virgin polyester production, its market share declined slightly, dropping half a percentage point from 12.5 percent in 2023 to 12 percent in 2024, Textile Exchange reported. Recycled polyester is still primarily (98 percent) made from plastic bottles. In comparison, textile-to-textile recycling remains low—less than 1 percent—for all fibers.
Cotton’s share of the global fiber market dipped by a single point, hitting 19 percent in 2023/24, though it was still the second most produced fiber in the world. About 34 percent of cotton now comes from certified sources, too. Man-made cellulose fibers (MMCFs) produced using FSC- and/or PEFC-certified or controlled feedstock, meanwhile, had an estimated market share around 65–70 percent in 2024, per the report. Half of all mohair is certified to Textile Exchange’s Responsible Mohair Standard.
Granted, more progress depends on more brands reporting data and investing in sourcing fibers from credible certification programs and partners, the organization emphasized, as to secure accountability and provide verification mechanisms.
Despite these developments, the overall growth in global fiber production—particularly fossil-based synthetics—still overshadows the bright spots, leading to the industry’s continued rise in total GHG emissions.
“There has been progress, but the time we have to transform our systems is running out,” Jensen said. “It’s clear that decisive action is needed.”
