According to a report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in 2020, on average, textile consumption in Europe had the fourth highest environmental and climate change impact from a global life cycle perspective. In terms of water and land use, it had the third highest impact, and in terms of raw material use and greenhouse gas emissions had the fifth highest impact.
Over the past decade, the price of clothing has declined relative to inflation, and each item is less used than in the past. So, every year, about 5.8 million tonnes of textiles are discarded in the EU, or about 11 kg per person, much of which ends up in landfills or incinerators.
