The annual Materials Market Report has once again been released, providing the industry with a snapshot of global fiber production trends through 2023. In this op-ed Beth Jensen, Senior Director, Climate and Nature Impact at Textile Exchange, helps interpret the findings and point the way forward.

The good news: The market share of wool produced according to the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), ZQ, SustainaWOOL (GREEN and GOLD), Sustainable Cape Wool Standard (SCWS), and Climate Beneficial increased from around 4.2% in 2022 to 4.8% in 2023. In terms of both volume and market share, 43% of all wool produced in South Africa was RWS-certified. There was also an increase in the market share of alpaca fiber certified to the Responsible Alpaca Standard (3% to 7%); the market share of mohair certified to the Responsible Mohair Standard (42% to 47%); and the market share of cashmere produced according to AVFS, Good Cashmere Standard, Responsible Nomads, and Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA) Cashmere Standard increased to 47% of all cashmere produced worldwide in 2023, up from 35% in 2022.

The share of cotton produced under sustainability programs remained stable, accounting for 29% of all cotton produced.

We must continue to build on this momentum, as standards and certifications – including those operated by Textile Exchange – continue evolving to more directly link practices to outcomes, and as supply system traceability continues to be a critical focus for the industry, particularly given forthcoming regulations in the EU and other jurisdictions.

The not-so-good news: While globally, recycled polyester fiber production increased from around 8.6 million tons in 2022 to around 8.9 million tons in 2023, due to the increase in virgin polyester production, there was a decrease in the overall market share of recycled polyester from around 13.6% of global polyester production in 2022 to around 12.5% in 2023. In addition, less than 1% of the global fiber market came from pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles.

This is yet another clear call to action for the industry to double down on moving away from reliance on virgin fossil-based materials and to step up its efforts to build the circular technologies, infrastructure, and systems needed to rapidly scale textile-to-textile recycling. For more inspiration on this, I invite you to check out Textile Exchange’s “Future of Synthetics” report, published in April 2024.

Lead graphic: Textile Exchange Materials Market Report