“The clothing industry contributes up to 10% of the pollution driving the climate crisis.”
Globally, the fashion industry is estimated to contribute 3 - 10% of the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change, based on scientific studies and reports from the United Nations and charities. The clothing industry has a variety of other environmental impacts, including intensive water use, water pollution through dying and textile production, and pesticide and herbicide pollution through the agricultural production of cotton. Microplastics, which are shed primarily from synthetic textiles during washing, are also polluting the oceans, potentially negatively impacting human health and natural ecosystems. [...] Overall the claim, "the clothing industry contributes up to 10% of the pollution driving the climate crisis" is accurate, as it falls within 1 to 10% range of estimates for GHG emissions in scientific studies and organization reports. In addition, clothing production and consumption can be an energy- and water-intensive process that causes water pollution, microplastic release, and human health impacts. [...] The claim [that the fashion contributes] up to 10% [of pollution driving the climate crisis] is not very far from the United Nations’ research estimate, which is 8%.