Global fiber production hit record number

Textile Exchange released its annual Materials Market Report alongside its Materials Benchmark Insights and Trends 2025 and its Climate+ Dashboard. Together, the reports show global fiber production hit a record 132 million tons in 2024, more than double since 2000.

Despite nearly a decade of climate pledges, raw material use across fashion, footwear, and home textiles keeps climbing, pushing the industry further from the 1.5°C climate goal of limiting global warming to safe levels. 

The report highlights fashion’s central contradiction: brands are sourcing more “preferred” materials, but those gains are outpaced by the relentless growth in overall production. As long as the industry keeps making more materials, especially fossil-fuel synthetics, emissions will continue to rise. 

The takeaway is that sourcing improvements matter, but on their own, they are not enough to offset the impact of increasing production. 

Links:

Materials Benchmark Insights

Climate+ Dashboard