Textile Exchange said the fashion and textile industry has drifted further from its 2030 climate target even as certified fiber sourcing hit record levels, according to the nonprofit’s newly released 2025 Annual Report.
The organization’s Climate+ strategy calls for the industry to cut greenhouse gas emissions tied to fiber and raw material production by 45% by 2030, using a 2019 baseline of 335 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Reaching that target would require bringing annual emissions down to between 180 million and 190 million tons by the end of the decade, in line with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree pathway. Instead, the report found that rising output has pushed the sector in the opposite direction, widening the gap between current performance and the 2030 goal.
The widening gap traces back to record global fiber production, which climbed to roughly 132 million metric tons in 2024, up from about 125 million tons the year before, according to Textile Exchange’s Materials Market Report. Output has more than doubled since 2000 and has grown by roughly 34 million tons since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015, translating to about four tons of fiber produced every second worldwide. Polyester remains the dominant material, accounting for 59% of global fiber output, with 88% of that volume derived from fossil feedstocks. The synthetic fiber alone is estimated to contribute close to 43% of the sector’s total greenhouse gas impact, underscoring the challenge of decoupling rising demand from emissions growth.
Even so, the annual report pointed to expanding adoption of certified and lower-impact materials among companies actively engaging with Textile Exchange. Participation in the organization’s Materials Benchmark reached a record 423 brands and retailers in 2025, up from just 57 when the program launched in 2015. Among companies reporting data for both 2023 and 2024, the share of raw materials certified under sustainability programs rose to 67% from 58%, while virgin fossil-based polyester use among that group fell to roughly 560,000 tons from about 637,000 tons. More than 100,000 sites worldwide are now certified to Textile Exchange’s material sustainability standards, reflecting 12% year-on-year growth across its certification programs, the report said.
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The findings arrive as Textile Exchange works to consolidate its standards portfolio under a new Materials Matter framework, following the December 2025 publication of final criteria for the standard. The unified system is designed to move beyond material-specific certification toward a single, outcomes-based approach spanning climate, nature, people and animal welfare across raw material production and initial processing. The Materials Matter Standard becomes effective on December 31, 2026, with certification mandatory from December 31, 2027, giving certified sites roughly two years to transition from existing programs such as the Global Recycled Standard and Responsible Wool Standard.
Textile Exchange also restructured its membership model in 2025, introducing a Community Cohort for organizations focused on knowledge-sharing and a separate Action Cohort aimed at brands, retailers, and Tier 4 producers seeking a structured pathway toward verified sourcing targets. The organization said more than 1,700 people attended its annual conference during the year, and its broader community now includes more than 700 member organizations.
“The progress we’ve made in 2025 marks a defining moment for Textile Exchange,” said Claire Bergkamp, the organization’s chief executive, in the report. She said evolving the group’s strategy, membership and standards positions it to help the industry accelerate progress while accounting for the practical realities of raw material production, adding that closing the gap will require deeper collaboration and long-term investment linking producers, suppliers, retailers and brands.
Textile Exchange said it will continue refreshing its GHG impact modeling annually alongside publication of its Materials Market Report, and that additional Life Cycle Assessment studies and guidance on regenerative agriculture claims are among the tools it plans to expand as the industry works toward the 2030 target.