The Rise of Polyester: Dominating the Textile Industry and the Sustainability Challenge
- October 9, 2024
- Comments: 0
- Posted by: Andrés David Vargas Quesada
With the rise of polyester, this fabric has secured a dominant position in the textile industry, becoming the most produced fiber worldwide. With its competitive pricing and versatile properties, it has surpassed traditional fibers like cotton and wool. However, despite its success, the increase in recycled polyester faces significant hurdles, leaving fashion with a critical challenge to bridge the sustainability gap.
The Growth of Polyester in the Last Decade
In recent years, polyester’s growth has been remarkable. In 2015, global production stood at 48 million tons, reaching 71 million tons in 2023. This increase has made polyester the most widely used material in the industry, with a 57% market share. Compared to other fibers like cotton (20%) and nylon (5%), polyester has become an indispensable option for brands and textile manufacturers. Its growth is driven by its accessibility and its ability to adapt to various applications in fashion, sportswear, and industrial products.
Why Isn’t Recycled Polyester Growing as Fast?
Despite many brands’ efforts to incorporate recycled polyester, adoption has been slow. Between 2017 and 2023, the proportion of recycled polyester in the global market has remained between 13-15%, without achieving sustained growth. The main reason is that almost all recycled polyester comes from plastic bottles, accounting for 98% of recycled material, while only 2% comes from sources like textile waste or marine debris. This reliance on plastic bottles highlights the lack of infrastructure to recycle textiles in a “textile-to-textile” cycle, which would be a critical step towards truly circular fashion.
The Impact of Polyester on Fashion Sustainability
Polyester’s dominance in the fiber market poses significant environmental challenges. The production of virgin polyester generates large amounts of CO₂ emissions, and the low adoption of recycled polyester isn’t doing enough to reduce this impact. While bottle recycling is a temporary solution, the industry needs to accelerate the development of technologies to recycle textiles more efficiently and on a larger scale. The lack of innovation in this area could hinder brands’ efforts to meet their sustainability goals.
Polyester’s rise continues to transform the textile industry, but its environmental impact needs urgent attention. Although brands have shown interest in more sustainable alternatives, the slow growth of recycled polyester reflects the challenges fashion faces in moving toward circularity. The industry must invest in new recycling solutions and responsible production to close the sustainability gap and adapt to increasing environmental demands.
