The emission pathways assessed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to limit global warming to 1.5°C or 2°C by the year 2100 require not only the reduction of emissions but also the utilization of carbon dioxide removals (CDR).

Many companies have set their emission targets in line with 1.5°C, aiming to achieve net zero eventually. This has led to an increased awareness of GHG emissions in the supply chain (scope 3 emissions), where agricultural products can represent important hotspots, especially where deforestation occurs. At the same time, there is hope that agriculture can be part of the solution, such as through soil carbon sequestration supported by improved agricultural practices.

One key point in this matter is biogenic carbon. This type of carbon is absorbed from the atmosphere by plants as they grow and can be released back into the atmosphere later when the plants burn or break down.

There is no doubt that biogenic carbon stocks are important for emissions and mitigating carbon levels. However, the extent of changes in these biogenic carbon stocks and the methods to quantify these changes have been highly controversial and a subject of debate for many years.

This paper, written in collaboration with Sphera, provides guidance on the difficult terrain of old and new standards and guidelines that cover accounting methods for biogenic carbon, including:

• GHG Protocol (2023): Land Sector and Removals Guidance Draft
• Product Environmental Footprint method of then European Commission
• ISO (2018): ISO 14067:2018 – Carbon footprint of products
• WWF/SBTi (2023): Forest, Land and Agriculture Science-Based Target-Setting Guidance V1.1

Download the paper

Biogenic Carbon: Guideline on the Consideration of Biogenic Carbon Emissions and Removals in Carbon Footprint Calculations is freely available to all.

Download the paper

Discover the key takeaways

• Removals should only be considered in carbon footprint calculations if it can be ensured that they are permanent. The guidance on the inclusion of removals for reporting requirements in the GHG Protocol Land Sector and Removals Guidance is particularly relevant here.
  
  
• In most cases, the storage of carbon in biobased products (carbon contained in the product) will be temporary. The carbon stored in the product should not be claimed as being removed if it cannot be considered to be removed permanently (under the strict criteria laid out in the GHG Protocol).
  
  
• Carbon emissions from land-use change contribute significantly to global warming. Avoiding emissions from land-use change should be a top priority for all companies, which requires them to better understand the origin of their supply chains and improve the traceability of their materials.
  
  
• Removals should only be claimed if occurring directly in the value chain and if strict criteria to claim removals from GHG Protocol are met. Offsetting cannot be included in a carbon footprint.
  
  
• The uncertainty around removals with soil carbon sequestration remains high. In some circumstances, significant soil organic carbon sequestration is possible. However, due to the associated uncertainty within quantification methods, soil organic carbon sequestration should only be one part of a broader emission reduction strategy.
  
  
• Even without carbon sequestration claims, promoting healthy soil environments is worthwhile. If removals are being claimed, the principles of permeance should be established. More importantly, it remains to be seen how the sequestration of carbon in soils and its quantification can be put into practice in a scalable way.
  
  
• Delayed emissions should not be included in carbon footprint assessments. If assessed, they should be reported as additional information.

The post Biogenic Carbon Guideline appeared first on Textile Exchange.

Discover some of the key insights and trends from Textile Exchange’s Materials Benchmark.

The Materials Benchmark is the largest peer-to-peer comparison initiative in the fashion, textile, and apparel industry. Every year, it tracks the uptake of fibers and raw materials from recognized programs, as well as how companies are addressing areas like circularity, biodiversity, land, freshwater, and forests.

To explore aggregated data and trends from participating brands and retailers, we have compiled a factsheet that provides key insights into the state of the sector.

The Materials Benchmark is open to all companies that want to measure and report their fiber and raw material-related progress. However, it is important to note that the data in this factsheet refer to companies that report into the Materials Benchmark only, which far outperform the industry as a whole in terms of their sustainability progress.

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Explore all of the insights

Dive deeper into how companies that reported into the 2024 Materials Benchmark cycle are addressing climate and nature through their raw material sourcing.

Download the fact sheet

Discover the key takeaways

• The number of reporting brands and retailers (including subsidiaries) increased from 57 in 2015 to a record 418 in 2024.

• The share of raw materials under sustainability programs used by the reporting brands increased from 53% in 2022 to 57% in 2023.
  
  
• The share of recycled materials from textile-to-textile feedstocks remains very low. Less than 1% of all fibers used by the brands and retailers were from textile-to-textile feedstocks from post-consumer textiles in 2023.
   
• The total fiber and raw material usage as shared by the reporting brands decreased from around 2.3 million tonnes in 2022 to 2.1 million tonnes in 2023. The use of virgin fossil-based synthetic fibers also decreased among reporting brands.
   
• Brands and retailers still struggle to identify the country of origin of their raw materials. 80% of all cotton sourced by the reporting brands was from an unknown country of origin, and 75% of all polyester.
  
  
• The share of brands with formal climate targets increased from 66% in 2022 to 79% in 2023.
  
  
• The share of brands that implemented measures to reduce impacts on climate and nature during raw materials production increased from 79% in 2022 to 86% in 2023.
  
  

The post Materials Benchmark Insights and Trends 2024 appeared first on Textile Exchange.

Global fiber production reached an all-time high of 124 million tonnes in 2023, according to Textile Exchange’s annual Materials Market Report.

Textile Exchange’s Materials Market Report has been the leading source for global fiber and materials production volumes for the last decade. It 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 looks at total fiber volumes used for apparel, home textiles, footwear, or any other application, shows that global fiber production increased 7% from 116 million tonnes in 2022 to 124 million tonnes in 2023. This number is expected to rise to 160 million tonnes in 2030 if current trends continue.

Similarly, the market share of virgin fossil-based synthetics continued to increase in 2023, while that of cotton and recycled fibers slightly declined. These findings highlight a continued reliance on new virgin fossil-based synthetic materials, threatening to undermine the industry’s commitments to its climate goals. It also shows the current limitations of textile-to-textile recycling and an urgent need for innovative solutions, with most recycled polyester still coming from PET bottles.

Amid these concerns, one positive trend that stands out is the increased industry demand for responsible animal fibers through programs like the Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS) and Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS), both contributing to better animal welfare and environmental management. This indicates the potential of farm-level standards of this kind to increase market recognition of more sustainable practices on the ground.

For many years, Textile Exchange reported on the total fiber and raw materials market, including programs for various levels of “preferred” fibers, as well as the conventional business as- usual. To better reflect this, in 2023, we decided to update the report’s name from the “Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report” to the “Materials Market Report.”

Download the report

Our Materials Market Report is freely available to all.

Download the report

Discover the key takeaways

• Synthetics continue to dominate: The production of virgin fossil-based synthetic fibers increased from 67 million tonnes in 2022 to 75 million tonnes in 2023. Polyester remained the most produced fiber globally, accounting for 57% of total fiber production. 

• Recycled synthetics face challenges: Although recycled polyester fiber production slightly increased in 2023, the overall market share of recycled polyester decreased from 13.6% to 12.5%. For polyamide (nylon), the second most used synthetic fiber, recycled fibers constituted only 2% of the total market share. These trends are attributed to the lower prices and continued production of virgin synthetics, as well as current limitations in recycling technologies. Less than 1% of the global fiber market came from pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles.
   
• Cotton production saw a slight decline: Total global cotton volumes fell slightly from 25.1 million tonnes in 2022 to 24.4 million tonnes in 2023. However, the share of cotton produced under sustainability programs remained stable, accounting for 29% of all cotton produced. 
   
• Certified wool climbs: Data showed positive trends for wool produced under standards such as the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), ZQ, SustainaWOOL (GREEN and GOLD), Sustainable Cape Wool Standard (SCWS) and Climate Beneficial programs. This increased from 4.2% in 2022 to 4.8% in 2023. Recycled wool continued to account for around 6% of the global wool market.  
   
• Certified mohair and cashmere reached almost half of market share: Certified fibers such as mohair and cashmere saw notable growth, both with market shares of 47%. 
   
• Manmade cellulosic fibers production increased: Overall MMCF production increased from 7.4 million tonnes in 2022 to 7.9 million tonnes in 2023, representing 6% of the global fiber market.

The post Materials Market Report 2024 appeared first on Textile Exchange.

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 2023 edition of the 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.

For many years, Textile Exchange reported on the total fiber and raw materials market, including programs for various levels of “preferred” fibers, as well as the conventional business as- usual. To better reflect this, in 2023, we decided to update the report’s name from the “Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report” to the “Materials Market Report.”

Download the report

Our Materials Market Report is freely available to all.

Download the latest report

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 (Malvinas), 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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The post Biodiversity Landscape Analysis appeared first on Textile Exchange.

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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Read the full report

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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Growing Hemp on Reclaimed Land with Browns Family Farm in North (…)

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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.

REPORT

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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