Textile Exchange Tracks the Global Fibre Shift
Data from Textile Exchange’s Materials Benchmark shows that the 384 participating fashion, textile, and apparel brands and retailers (including subsidiary brands) made meaningful progress in 2025. This stands out especially when compared to the overall global fiber and material production volumes across all end uses, as seen in the latest edition of the organization’s annual Materials Market Report.
Textile Exchange’s Materials Market Report looks at estimates of total global raw material production by weight used across all industries, as well as estimates of the production used specifically within the apparel, home textiles, bags, footwear, and technical textiles sectors.
Key findings in the 2026 report include:
Global fiber production increased to a record 139 million tonnes in 2025, compared to 132 million tonnes in 2024. This is the equivalent of 17 kg of fiber per person, more than double the 8.3 kg per person in 1975.
Companies that participated in the Materials Benchmark increased their use of cotton, polyester, polyamide (nylon), viscose, and wool sourced through standards, certifications, and other programs that verify practices for preferred ways of production from 68% in 2024 to 72% in 2025. In contrast, the share of global production of these fibers from preferred production systems across all industries represented 20% of total volumes. Materials Benchmark participants particularly led the way in using cotton from preferred production systems, with 82% of participants’ total cotton sourcing coming from these programs, compared with 38% of total global cotton production volumes.
The vast majority (92.4%) of Materials Benchmark participants reported having formal climate targets in place and are showing progress in setting formal nature targets. Participating companies are also prioritizing animal welfare, with 88% of those who use animal fibers having an animal welfare policy.
Materials Benchmark participants also slightly decreased their use of new virgin fossil-based polyester from 0.54 million tonnes in 2024 to 0.48 million tonnesin 2025, while the global production of new virgin fossil-based polyester across all end uses increased from 68 million tonnes in 2024 to 73 million tonnes in 2025 (a 7% increase year-on-year). Participants significantly increased the share of their polyester that comes from recycled sources, from 67% in 2024 to 76%in 2025. In contrast, the share of recycled polyester in global polyester fiber production remained unchanged at 12% from 2024 to 2025.
However, more work is needed to increase the proporti on of recycled polyester that comes from textiles. An estimated 1.5% of recycled polyester used by Materials Benchmark participants came from textile sources, equivalent to 1.1% of all polyester used by the group. This compares to an estimated 3% of global recycled polyester production coming from textile sources in 2025, equivalent to 0.3% of total global polyester production. The vast majority of recycled polyester used by reporting companies as well as produced globally in 2025 was from plastic bottles and other non-textile sources.
Further data collected in the Materials Market Report in 2025 provides deeper insights on the scale of the challenges ahead. The report covers global production volumes across all end uses, such as automotive textiles, construction materials, medical products, and filtration systems, as well as the fashion, textile, and apparel industry.
The report shows that global fiber production reached a record-breaking 139 million tonnes in 2025, an increase of 7 million tonnes in just 12 months. This increase was driven by the increase in new virgin fossil-based fiber production, from 81 million tonnes in 2024 to 86 million tonnes in 2025.
Polyester remained the most widely produced fiber in the world in 2025, increasing from 77.7 million tonnes in 2024 to 82.5 million tonnes in 2025 and accounting for 59% of global fiber production, the same market share as in 2024. 72.8 million tonnes (88%) of this were virgin fossil-based polyester. Cotton was again the second most widely produced textile fiber, with global production increasing slightly from 25.4 million tonnes to 25.7 million tonnes and accounting for 18% of global fiber production, the same market share as in 2024. Production of manmade cellulosic fibers (MMCFs) increased from 8.4 million tonnes in 2024 to 9.1 million tonnes in 2025, accounting for 7% of market share, up from 6% in 2024. Global sheep wool production remained at around 1 million tonnes of clean wool fiber from 2024 to 2025, but its market share slightly decreased from 0.9% to around 0.7%.
Beth Jensen, Chief Impact Officer at Textile Exchange, said: “Our latest annual data offers evidence of the progress that can be made when companies are committed, engaged, and willing to work together to accelerate the transition to preferred production systems. From an increase in the proportion of materials from sustainability programs used, to reduced reliance on virgin fossil-based inputs, those who are part of the Textile Exchange community are demonstrating their leadership, outpacing the trends seen across the global production volume data.”
“We must continue to work collectively toward scaling preferred production systems such as regeneratively and organically grown natural materials and textile-to-textile recycling. At Textile Exchange, we’ll continue working with our members to accelerate these efforts, through alignment around shared aggregate targets, pathways to preferred production systems, and collective action opportunities. Together, we can turn these pockets of progress into lasting change.”
Key findings from the Materials Market Report
Polyester continues to be the most widely produced fiber in the world, accounting for 59% of global fiber production, the same as in 2024. In 2025, the total weight produced increased to 82.5 million tonnes, up from 77.7 million tonnes in 2024. Growth in overall fiber production across materials kept polyester’s share of total fiber production broadly constant year-on-year.
Recycled polyester production increased from around 9.4 million tonnes in 2024 to 9.7 million tonnes in 2025. The majority of this came from plastic bottles (97%).
For all fibers, textile-to-textile recycled fiber production remains at about 1%. However, there has been marginal growth, increasing from 0.61% in 2021 to 0.76% in 2025.
Cotton remained the second most widely produced textile fiber, with 18% of the market share, followed by manmade cellulosic fibers (7%). Animal fibers had a combined market share of 1%.
The report also offered some promising findings on material volumes from preferred production systems:
Cotton from certified programs increased to 9.4 million tonnes in 2025, 37% of all virgin cotton fiber. This is up from 8.4 million tonnes (35%) in 2024.
Two-thirds of manmade cellulosic fibers (MMCFs) were produced using Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and/or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) certified or controlled feedstock, the same share of total MMCF production as in 2024.
Textile Exchange’s Responsible Wool Standard also saw production of certified greasy wool increase from 70,389 tonnes (3.8% of global greasy wool) in 2024 to 79,135 tonnes (4.5% of global greasy wool) in 2025.
Modeling industry shares and associated emissions
For the apparel, home textiles, bags, footwear, and technical textiles industries, the Materials Market Report, for the first time, features estimates of the global production volumes flowing into products, applying a new, updated methodology to arrive at these estimates. Production volumes attributable to these sectors increased across key textile fibers such as polyester, cotton, and viscose. Leather production volumes at the sector level remained stable, while wool production volumes for these sectors declined year on year.
The data shows that between 1990 and 2025, technical textiles (such as automotive textiles, construction materials, medical products, filtration systems, geotextiles and non-woven hygiene products) recorded the fastest growth among the three largest end use categories, with an estimated compound annual growth rate of approximately 4.1%, compared with 3.2% for home textiles and 2.6% for apparel.
Key findings from Textile Exchange’s greenhouse gas emissions modeling
Textile Exchange has also conducted its annual modeling and progress tracking against the goal of a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions associated with fiber and raw material production by 2030 (from a 2019 baseline).
The modeling approach has been updated in 2026 to better reflect the updated estimates in the Materials Market Report for the share of global production flowing into products specifically for the apparel, home textiles, bags, and footwear industries. It also incorporates the most current emission factor data, including from Textile Exchange’s recently released cotton Life Cycle Assessment study.
The latest data shows that for the apparel, home textiles, bags, and footwear industries:
Greenhouse gas emissions reached a new high in 2025, at ~325 million tonnes CO2e, increasing by around 30% since the 2019 baseline.
Virgin fossil-based polyester accounted for the vast majority of the estimated ~43% overall contribution of polyester to the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2025, making polyester once again the highest-impact fiber.
The contribution of other key fibers and raw materials to the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions includes manmade cellulosic fiber (MMCF) at ~13%; nylon and cotton at ~11% each; sheep wool at ~8%; and leather at ~3%.
Key findings from the Materials Benchmark
The Materials Benchmark tracks fiber and raw material volume use from participating companies. It enables both individual and collective progress tracking, supporting alignment with shared industry goals while generating actionable insights for individual participants to inform decision-making and identifyopportunities for improvement.
Key findings from the 2026 Materials Benchmark include:
Reporting companies increased their sourcing of cotton, polyester, polyamide (nylon), viscose, and wool from sustainability programs from 68% in 2024 to72% in 2025, compared to 20% of the total production of these fibers across all industries.
Materials Benchmark participants particularly led the way in using cotton from preferred production systems, with 82% of participants’ cotton sourcing coming from these programs, compared to 38% of total global cotton production volumes.
Materials Benchmark participants slightly decreased their use of virgin fossil-based polyester and increased their use of recycled polyester. Accordingly, the share of recycled polyester within their overall polyester uptake increased from 67% in 2024 to 76% in 2025. Meanwhile, the share of global recycled polyester production within overall polyester production remained unchanged at 12% from 2024 to 2025.
The share of cotton, polyester, nylon, viscose, and wool from textile-to-textile feedstocks from pre- and post-consumer textiles remained low at 2% of total raw material usage in both 2024 and 2025.
The vast majority of reporting brands now have formal climate targets (92.4% in 2025), while formal nature targets are showing progress, rising from 22.3% in 2024 to 27.8% in 2025.
Reporting companies are also prioritizing animal welfare, with 88% of those who use animal fibers having an animal welfare policy.
Traceability remains a challenge for reporting brands and retailers, with many saying that they struggle to identify the country of origin of their raw materials. In 2025, of all the raw materials used by Materials Benchmark participants, 79% were described as having an “unknown country of origin.”
The crucial role of sharing data and verifying practices
The latest findings from the Materials Benchmark highlight the crucial role of companies sharing data to present an accurate picture of the industry’s sourcing practices. Starting in 2027, reporting raw material usage annually through the Materials Benchmark will become mandatory for brand and retailer members of Textile Exchange’s Action Cohort. Reporting helps both individual companies and the wider industry measure progress and accelerate action.
Being a member of the Action Cohort will also require setting targets for sourcing materials through systems that verify production practices. This will help organizations increase traceability of their materials and drive progress in key intervention areas.
Sarah Needham, Chief Engagement and Partnerships Officer, said: “As we move toward a more action-orientated membership, reporting data through the Materials Benchmark will become a mandatory step for Action Cohort members. By making this commitment, it will help companies track progress year on year, identify opportunities to strengthen their material strategies, and make more informed decisions about where to focus their efforts. It also provides a stronger evidence base for communicating industry progress with transparency and credibility.”
“But the real opportunity comes from doing this together. By sharing data and building a clearer picture of collective progress, we can improveour understanding of what works and accelerate change across the industry.”
Source: Textile Exchange