Investigation finds 100+ fashion brands rely on Texas oil and gas fracking

SEATTLE (Traditional Puget Sound Salish and Duwamish Lands) — A new investigation by Stand.earth Research Group (SRG) released today finds that more than 100 fashion giants currently source many of their fabrics from fracked oil and gas in the Permian Basin in Texas.

• Click here to view SRG’s Fracked Fashion Map 

Using customs data, export/import data, company 10-K filings, supplier disclosure documents, and investor presentations, SRG’s Fracked Fashion Map connects the supply chain from Texas to multiple countries, to conversion of ethane to polyester, production of the garment, and, finally, to 107 fashion companies. Using the tool, viewers can sort by linked brands and companies, specific brands, or specific parent companies.

The SRG investigation also reveals that only 57 of the 107 petrochemical-linked brands have explicit policies to phase out or eliminate virgin polyester, which is important for reducing carbon emissions. Of these, the vast majority focus on increasing recycled polyester from plastic bottles, which is a false solution that still contributes to sustaining the oil and gas industry.

Petrochemicals are anticipated to become the largest driver of global oil and gas consumption – ahead of ground transportation, aviation, and shipping – and these feedstocks often fly under the radar, according to the IEA. The chemical sector is already the largest industrial consumer of fossil fuels behind transportation, accounting for 14% of global oil and 8% of gas primary demand, according to the IEA. Ethane derived from fracked Natural Gas Liquids, or “NGLs,” in the Permian is used by producers and manufacturers around the world to make countless branded consumer-facing products, including footwear and fashion products.

“While conversations on alternatives to fracked oil and gas predominantly focus on end uses like heating or gasoline, the fashion industry is on track to become a major player in driving the expansion of fracking. Consumers often purchase apparel without knowing the connection to fracking behind the fabric – especially when brands market themselves as environmentally friendly – and this investigation puts a spotlight on the gap between what apparel companies say and what apparel companies actually do,” said Dr. Devyani Singh, Investigative Researcher at SRG.

SRG focused on the Permian Basin as a starting point because it has the highest potential emissions of any oil- and gas-related “carbon bomb” globally, at 27.8 Gt CO2. A “carbon bomb” is a proposed or existing fossil fuel extraction project, such as an oil or gas project, that would result in more than 1 gigaton of CO2 emissions if its reserves were completely extracted and burnt. Across the U.S., more than 1.7 million fracking wells have been drilled, which pollute critical water sources, contribute to the climate crisis, and risk the health of over 12.6 million people.

The growth of petrochemicals as a backup plan for the oil and gas industry is inextricably linked to the dramatic growth in recent years of the fashion industry into one of the world’s most polluting supply chains, which is responsible for approximately 3% of global emissions and rising. Last year, more than two-thirds of garments were made of synthetic (i.e., petrochemical-derived) fibers, and this number is expected to grow to 73% by 2030.

“Every year around the holiday season, fashion brands make and sell millions of dollars worth of polyester clothing at rock-bottom prices – garments that on average will be worn just a handful of times before being thrown out to leach toxic chemicals and microplastic pollution. The season of overproduction and sky-high climate emissions is made possible by harmful fracking and cheap petrochemicals, but it’s now time for brands to start a new tradition of sharing transparency into their supply chains, and giving a more sustainable future without fossil fuel fibers,” said Rachel Kitchin, Senior Corporate Campaigner at Stand.earth.

Just half of the fashion brands found with links to fracking in the Permian Basin have explicit policies to reduce their use of virgin polyester. Of those, only one has committed to phase out virgin polyester altogether, and none have explicit, time-bound targets to increase the use of recycled textile waste. The vast majority are planning to scale up their use of recycled materials from non-textile streams, primarily polyester from plastic bottles (rPET). Experts, including the Textile Exchange and Changing Markets Foundation, agree that rPET is not a green solution because it diverts bottles from being recycled into new bottles. Clothing made from recycled plastic bottles cannot be efficiently recycled, still sheds microplastics, and will contribute to pollution at the end of its lifecycle. Sustainable alternatives demand a shift away from fossil fuel reliance altogether.

“Once again, synthetic clothing is linked to contentious sources that threaten both people and the planet. Alarmingly, global fashion brands are increasing their reliance on plastic-based materials, with synthetic fibres set to dominate 73% of global production by 2030. This should be a serious wake-up call for policymakers to act decisively, before the industry locks itself even further into fossil fuels. Upcoming legislation must urgently shift the fashion industry away from its reliance on fossil fuels and put an end to plastic-based fabrics flooding our closets, polluting our environment, and threatening our health,” said Urska Trunk, Senior Campaign Manager at Changing Markets Foundation.

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Media Contact

Cari Barcas, Stand.earth Communications Director, cari.barcas@stand.earth