The last "Materials Market Report 2024" from Textile Exchange has been released. In this article we drive you through the key insights.
Global Fiber Market Overview
The global fiber market continues to show unprecedented growth, with production hitting 124 million tonnes in 2023, up from 116 million tonnes in 2022. This significant increase reflects a broader trend since 2000, where fiber production has more than doubled from 58 million tonnes. If the current trajectory persists, projections indicate the industry could reach 160 million tonnes by 2030.
The fiber market per capita has also surged. In 1975, each individual consumed approximately 8.3 kilograms of fiber. By 2023, that figure had nearly doubled to 15.5 kilograms per person, and if growth continues, consumption could reach 18.8 kilograms per person by 2030.
This relentless increase is driven by demand for synthetic fibers, particularly polyester. Despite global commitments to climate goals, the fashion industry remains highly dependent on fossil-based synthetic materials, which is a significant concern for environmental sustainability. The industry’s limited progress in developing textile-to-textile recycling further complicates efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.
Recycled fiber production showed a minor decline from 7.9% in 2022 to 7.7% in 2023, primarily because virgin synthetic fibers, particularly polyester, have become cheaper to produce, disincentivizing the use of recycled alternatives. Less than 1% of the total fiber market was composed of recycled textiles, both pre- and post-consumer, emphasizing the need for better recycling systems and innovation.
1. Polyester – The Dominant Fiber
Polyester remains the undisputed leader in fiber production. Accounting for 57% of global fiber production, polyester output jumped from 63 million tonnes in 2022 to 71 million tonnes in 2023. This steady rise cements polyester as the backbone of the synthetic fiber market, which itself represents 67% of total global fiber output.
Recycled polyester production, while growing slightly in absolute terms, witnessed a decline in its overall share of the polyester market. In 2022, recycled polyester comprised 13.6% of all polyester produced; by 2023, this had dropped to 12.5% due to the surge in cheaper virgin polyester production. The majority of recycled polyester, approximately 98%, is sourced from PET plastic bottles. Unfortunately, polyester textile-to-textile recycling remains nascent, contributing only 2% of recycled polyester, which underscores the lack of a robust infrastructure to reclaim textiles.
The future of polyester may hold potential for alternative innovations, such as biobased polyester and CO2-captured fibers. However, biobased polyester still struggles to gain market share, holding at 0.01% of the polyester market due to pricing, availability, and ongoing questions surrounding its sustainability. These developments remain promising but underutilized in the global effort to reduce reliance on fossil-based fibers.
2. Cotton – A Vital Yet Volatile Commodity
Cotton is the second-most produced fiber globally, making up 20% of total fiber production with 24.4 million tonnes produced in 2023, down slightly from 25.1 million tonnes in 2022. Despite its prominence, cotton faces environmental scrutiny, including concerns about water use, pesticides, and land degradation, particularly in climate-vulnerable regions.
Sustainability efforts in cotton production are increasingly essential, with Better Cotton and similar programs taking the lead. These initiatives cover 29% of global cotton production, unchanged from the previous year. Better Cotton and its equivalents, such as Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), Agro-2, and myBMP, represent 22% of global cotton production, with Better Cotton alone accounting for 8%. The market share for programs like Fairtrade and Organic Cotton remains smaller, though their influence is growing. Notably, organic cotton has expanded, especially in regions like India and Turkey, which are leading the way in organic practices.
Despite the global focus on improving cotton sustainability, recycled cotton remains underutilized, accounting for only 1% of total cotton production. Challenges in recycling cotton fibers, particularly when blended with synthetics, hamper efforts to scale up the use of post-consumer cotton waste.
3. Manmade Cellulosic Fibers (MMCFs) – A Growing Category
Manmade cellulosic fibers (MMCFs), including viscose, lyocell, modal, and acetate, are a critical component of the fashion industry's natural-based materials, accounting for 6% of global fiber production in 2023, a notable increase from 7.4 million tonnes in 2022 to 7.9 million tonnes in 2023. Viscose dominates the MMCF market, representing 5% of global fiber production, with other MMCFs like lyocell and modal contributing to the remaining share.
Sustainability concerns around MMCFs center on deforestation and the chemical processes used to produce them. Programs like the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) aim to address these concerns, ensuring that around 60–65% of MMCFs in 2023 were produced from certified sustainable feedstocks. The market share of recycled MMCFs remains low, at just 0.7%, but advancements in recycling technology and chemical recovery systems may increase this percentage in the coming years.
4. Wool and Other Animal Fibers – Maintaining a Niche
Wool, one of the most traditional fibers, has seen relatively stable production, contributing around 1 million tonnes to global fiber output in 2023, equivalent to 0.9% of the market. While wool represents a small fraction of global production, it remains an important natural fiber, particularly in the luxury and cold-weather apparel segments. The market for recycled wool has remained steady, at 6% of total wool production.
Other animal fibers, such as mohair, alpaca, and cashmere, represent a tiny share of the fiber market but have shown growth in their respective sectors. Programs like the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) and the Good Cashmere Standard are increasingly important as consumers and brands alike demand greater transparency and better animal welfare practices.
Despite efforts to scale up responsible sourcing in the animal fiber sector, challenges remain. Fiber production is heavily dependent on geography and climatic conditions, and issues like overgrazing, land degradation, and animal welfare continue to pose risks to sustainable growth.
5. The Recycled Fiber Market – A Long Road Ahead
Recycling continues to be one of the most critical, yet underdeveloped, areas of fiber production. After years of modest growth, the recycled fiber market share dropped slightly from 7.9% in 2022 to 7.7% in 2023. This decline reflects broader industry struggles to scale up textile-to-textile recycling, particularly for post-consumer waste. Current efforts focus largely on mechanical recycling, but the limitations of this process—such as fiber degradation and challenges with blended textiles—pose significant obstacles.
Polyester remains the leader in recycled fibers, with 12.5% of polyester produced in 2023 coming from recycled sources, predominantly plastic bottles. However, other fibers lag far behind: recycled nylon makes up just 2% of total nylon production, and recycled cotton holds only a 1% share. Blended textiles, which combine synthetic and natural fibers, present a significant challenge to efficient recycling. The process of separating fibers is labor-intensive, and recycling technologies capable of handling fiber blends are still emerging.
Innovative startups and chemical recycling technologies are showing promise for solving these complex recycling challenges. Chemical recycling, in particular, could open the door to high-value recycling of fiber blends, but it remains in its infancy compared to traditional mechanical methods.
6. Innovations – Biobased and CO2-Based Fibers
Though still in the early stages of market penetration, biobased fibers offer a glimpse of a more sustainable future. Biobased polyester remains at 0.01% of global polyester production, primarily due to cost and supply chain limitations. However, interest in alternative materials derived from sources like captured CO2 is growing, offering an innovative approach to producing synthetic fibers without fossil fuels.
These technologies could play a significant role in reducing the environmental footprint of synthetic fibers, but their success will depend on scalability, cost-effectiveness, and market demand. At present, the industry has made minimal progress in moving away from its reliance on fossil-based synthetics.
Conclusions and Future Outlook
The global fiber market is at a crossroads, where rapid growth in demand for synthetic fibers threatens to undermine the industry’s sustainability goals. Polyester remains the dominant fiber, and while recycled polyester is growing, it is not enough to offset the environmental impact of virgin fiber production. The potential for biobased innovations and more effective recycling technologies offers hope, but these remain nascent compared to the vast quantities of virgin materials still in use.
To meet climate targets and reduce environmental degradation, the fashion industry must accelerate its efforts to innovate in recycling, increase transparency in the supply chain, and expand the use of certified sustainable materials. Programs like Better Cotton, FSC-certified MMCFs, and the Responsible Wool Standard are critical, but their market share remains small in the face of the industry’s overall size.
For real change, the industry will need stronger regulatory frameworks, greater investment in recycling infrastructure, and a cultural shift toward valuing sustainable and circular materials.