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Zombie statistics distort fashion's sustainability story

06 Oct '25
4 min read
Zombie statistics distort fashion's sustainability story
Pic: Shutterstock

Insights

  • Fashion's environmental impact statistics are overstated and misleading.
  • The circular economy only shifts value, not creating new wealth.
  • Apparel waste is huge, but far less than claimed figures.
  • There is a need for evidence-based debate, balanced fibre assessments, and real accountability.
  • Real change needs regulation and sustainability-linked executive incentives.

But as Brussels-based textile industry analyst Lutz Walter argues, many of these claims are nothing more than ‘zombie stats (statistics)’—figures that refuse to die, no matter how wrong they are. In a series of LinkedIn posts, he set out to dismantle the myths and reveal a more nuanced, evidence-based picture of fashion’s real footprint.

Fashion’s emissions

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