Fashion’s Slow Path Towards Sustainability
- Human Rights Research Center
- Feb 19
- 3 min read
Author: Mathilde Guenin, MA
February 19, 2025
View the interactive visual report here on Tableau.
Downloadable Version Below.
Glossary
Chromium: A chemical element that is a hard, blue-grey metal, used in combination with other metals to make chrome.
Circular Economy: an economic system based on the reuse and regeneration of materials or products, especially as a means of continuing production in a sustainable or environmentally friendly way.
Directive: At the European Union (EU) level, a directive is a legislative act that establishes a goal for EU countries to achieve but allows each country to decide how to implement the necessary laws to meet these goals.
Dyeing: The process of adding a colour to or change the colour of (something) by soaking it in a solution impregnated with a dye.
Fast Fashion: Refers to a business model that focuses on rapidly producing high volumes of clothing.
Free Trade Zone: An area within which goods may be landed, handled, manufactured or reconfigured, and re-exported without the intervention of the customs authorities.
G20: It is the international forum that brings together the world's major economies.
Gross Domestic Production: The total market value of the goods and services produced by a country's economy during a specified period.
Luxury Brand: It is a brand that is characterized by a high level of quality, exclusivity and high price tags.
Mercury: A heavy silver-white poisonous metallic element that is liquid at ordinary temperatures and used especially in scientific instruments.
Modern slavery: Refers to situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence or coercion.
Regulation: At the European Union (EU) level, a regulation is a binding legislative act that must be fully implemented across all EU countries.
Supply Chains: It is a network of companies and people that are involved in the production and delivery of a product or service.
Uygurs: Refers to turkic-speaking, mostly Muslim ethnic group from China’s Xinjiang region. They have their own language and culture but face significant repression and human rights abuses from the Chinese government.
Data
A compilation of data from various sources. Each graph, map or table includes a reference to its respective source. If you're interested in reviewing the data:
Ellen Macarthur Foundation: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/fashion-and-the-circular-economy-deep-dive
World Trade Organizations, Value of Clothing Exports and Imports and Exports of Clothings: https://stats.wto.org/dashboard/merchandise_en.html
Fashion United, Most Valuable Fashion Brands: https://fashionunited.com/i/most-valuable-fashion-brands
Evalliance, Wages: https://evalliance.eu/Les-salaires-minima-des-fournisseurs-d-habillement-de-l-UE
International Labor Organizations: https://webapps.ilo.org/static/english/intserv/working-papers/wp053/index.html
Decathlon Sustainability https://sustainability.decathlon.com/why-does-it-take-so-much-water-to-make-a-cloth
Fashion Revolution, Fashion Transparency Index: https://www.fashionrevolution.org/fashion-transparency-index/
Walk Free, Global Slavery Index: https://www.walkfree.org/global-slavery-index/
The Observatory of Economic Complexity: https://oec.world/en/profile/hs/used-clothing
Sources
United Nations University Centre for Policy Research. Garments and apparel. https://unu.edu/cpr/article/garments-and-apparel
International Labour Organization. The role of international services in the working papers. https://webapps.ilo.org/static/english/intserv/working-papers/wp053/index.html
Greenpeace. Greenwash danger zone. https://es.greenpeace.org/es/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/04/230420_S04411_gp_greenwash_dangerzone_EN_report_final.pdf
Decathlon Sustainability. Why does it take so much water to make a cloth? https://sustainability.decathlon.com/why-does-it-take-so-much-water-to-make-a-cloth
Walk Free. Global Slavery Index. https://www.walkfree.org/global-slavery-index/
Fashion Revolution. Fashion Transparency Index. https://www.fashionrevolution.org/fashion-transparency-index/
FashionUnited. Global fashion industry statistics. https://fashionunited.com/statistics/global-fashion-industry-statistics
FashionUnited. Most valuable fashion brands. https://fashionunited.com/i/most-valuable-fashion-brands
World Trade Organization. Merchandise trade dashboard. https://stats.wto.org/dashboard/merchandise_en.html
Observatory of Economic Complexity. Used clothing profile. https://oec.world/en/profile/hs/used-clothing
EvAlliance. Les salaires minima des fournisseurs d’habillement de l’UE. https://evalliance.eu/Les-salaires-minima-des-fournisseurs-d-habillement-de-l-UE
Wired. Fashion’s disposal problem is bigger than you think. https://www.wired.com/story/fashion-disposal-environment/
European Commission. How the EU is making fashion sustainable. https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/circular-economy/reset-trend/how-eu-making-fashion-sustainable_en
European Commission. EU textiles strategy. https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/textiles-strategy_en
European Commission. A new EU strategy for sustainable textiles. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_2013
The Fashion Pact. Lower impact production. https://www.thefashionpact.org/area-of-action/lower-impact-production/
Ellen Macarthur Foundation. Fashion and the Circular Economy. https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/fashion-and-the-circular-economy-deep-dive
Ritsumeikan Journal of Asia Pacific Studies. Sustainability challenges in the textile industry. https://rjpn.org/jetnr/papers/JETNR2406023.pdf
The Guardian. Castoffs to catwalk: Fashion show shines light on vast Chile clothes dump. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/may/08/castoffs-to-catwalk-fashion-show-shines-light-on-vast-chile-clothes-dump-visible-from-space
H. Gomez Group. International law and free trade zones in Chile. https://www.hgomezgroup.com/chile/international-law-free-trade-zones-in-chile/#:~:text=Iquique's%20FTZ%20in%20particular%20has,%2C%20Latin%20America%2C%20and%20Asia
Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/dictionary
Cambridge Dictionary. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/