Fracked Fashion: How the Fashion Industry is fuelling Big Oil’s appetite for Fracking
Petrochemicals are on track to becoming the largest driver of global oil and gas consumption – ahead of vehicles, aviation and shipping – and feedstocks often fly under the radar. After transportation, the chemical sector is already the largest industrial consumer of fossil fuels, accounting for 14% of global oil and 8% of gas primary demand, with synthetic fibre production for the textile sector contributing 15% to overall plastic production. This makes the sector the third largest consumer of plastic, trailing only packaging and construction.
Ethane, derived from fracked Natural Gas Liquids (NGL’s) in the Permian Basin, serves as a critical feedstock for the production of polyester, which now accounts for 57% of global textile production. The fashion industry is responsible for 2-8% of global emissions, of which raw materials represent more than 20%. Synthetic fibres are expected to account for 73% of global apparel production by 2030, further escalating climate impacts, health risks, and waste. As international fashion brands increasingly rely on these materials, the environmental and social toll of fracking becomes a critical concern.
Key Findings
Over 100 brands have supply-chain links to petrochemicals obtained through fracking in the Permian basin in Texas, USA. These brands include: Inditex, one of the largest purchasers of synthetic fibres by volume; and Lululemon, where over 72% of its apparel and footwear is made from fossil-fuel derived synthetic fibres.
Each connection increases the probability that the polyester found in any individual garment from these brands is derived from fracking in the Permian Basin. It was chosen as a starting point as it is associated with significant environmental and social impacts.
Only 57 brands have explicit time-bound policies in place to reduce their overall consumption of synthetic fibres. The vast majority have limited commitments to transition to recycled materials from plastic bottles, which still contributes to sustaining the oil and gas industry, and is not a sustainable solution.
Recommendations for Brands
Commit to phase down the use of fossil fuel-derived materials by at least 50% by 2030, including virgin and recycled sources, as part of achieving an absolute Scope 3 emissions reduction of 55% by 2030. Companies should begin by ceasing the purchase of synthetics sourced from fracking.
Trace and publicly report on manufacturing supply chains to the raw material level, to increase accountability into the climate and environmental impacts of products and avoid the most harmful feedstocks.
Invest in high quality textile-textile recycling and commit to increase the sourcing of textiles from a closed-loop system, rather than rPET from plastic bottles, which is not a sustainable solution.
Recommendations for Policymakers:
Legislation and tools like the New York Fashion Act, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, and the European Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) must implement measures that comprehensively address the lifecycle impacts of synthetic materials.
Require the reporting of supply chain data to Tier 4 level, including for the feedstocks of synthetic fibres, in order to provide full accountability.
To discourage the continued reliance of the fashion industry on fossil fuel-derived fibres and curb the fast-fashion model, policymakers should introduce a tax on virgin plastic materials.