Fashion industry's environmental impact and sustainability efforts

Global clothing production has more than doubled in the last 20 years, with sales rising from $1 trillion in 2002 to $1.8 trillion in 2015 and projected $2.1 trillion by 2025, according to Greenpeace. Fast fashion produces up to 10 collections per year, and consumers buy 60% more clothing annually, with garments lasting half as long as 15 years ago. Producing 1 kg of fabric generates 23 kg of greenhouse gases. Polyester is cheaper than natural fibers and offers superior performance but complicates recycling. At the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, CEOs proposed sustainability measures: Emanuel Chirico of PVH (Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger) pledged to recycle all products by 2025; French minister Brune Poirson announced plans to outlaw destruction of unsold goods. Burberry, after burning $37 million in goods, has stopped destroying unsold inventory and ended fur sales under new art director Riccardo Tisci. The company partnered with Make Fashion Circular, an Ellen MacArthur Foundation initiative. François Pinault revealed a project inspired by Emmanuel Macron to create a coalition of brands for a sustainable action plan to present at the G7 in Biarritz in August 2019.