25/02/2026
Sabancı University Istanbul Policy Center has published a policy note titled "Environmental, Climate, and Labor Costs of the Fast Fashion Sector in Türkiye and the World: Problems and Proposed Solutions." The study aims to create a fair and implementable transformation roadmap to mitigate the environmental and social risks created by fast fashion. The policy note states that the sector in Türkiye is under multifaceted pressure for transformation due to the living wage gap, worker health risks, energy-intensive production processes, and increasing reliance on synthetic fibers. It emphasizes the need for a national roadmap, particularly focusing on reducing the amount of synthetic fibers, including targets for 2030 and 2040.
Sedat Gündoğdu, a researcher at Mercator-IPC, a project run by Sabancı University's Istanbul Policy Center (IPC) and the Stiftung Mercator Initiative, prepared the IPC-Mercator Policy Note titled "Environmental, Climate, and Labor Costs of the Fast Fashion Sector in Türkiye and the World: Problems and Proposed Solutions." The study comprehensively addresses the environmental, climatic, and social costs of the fast fashion and textile industry, focusing on synthetic fiber use, plastic and microplastic pollution, fossil fuel dependence, and labor regimes.
In his policy note, Sedat Gündoğdu, Mercator-IPC's Researcher for the 2025-2026 period, pointed out that the absolute increase in global textile production and the reliance on synthetic fibers in material composition demonstrate a structural mismatch with the sector's climate goals and circularity claims. Gündoğdu also noted that in Türkiye, despite its high export and employment capacity, the sector is under multifaceted pressure for transformation due to the living wage gap, worker health risks, energy-intensive production processes, and increasing dependence on synthetic fibers.
Concrete proposals were presented focusing on binding policy tools.
The policy note focused on binding policy tools that address production volume, material selection, and supply chain responsibility together; concrete proposals were presented based on synthetic fiber reduction, clean heat recycling, strong producer accountability mechanisms, and the principle of just transition.
In the policy note, Sedat Gündoğdu stated: “Over the last twenty years, the global textile and apparel sector has experienced an unprecedented transformation in terms of production volume, consumption rate, and material composition. This transformation has been shaped by business models often referred to as “fast fashion” and more recently “ultra-fast fashion”; low-cost production, high product variety, short lifespans, and constantly renewed collections have become the dominant norms of the sector. This model has fundamentally changed consumer behavior as well as production geographies, raw material supply chains, and the distribution of environmental burdens.”
The share of textile-to-textile recycling is below 1% globally.
According to the Textile Exchange's Materials Market Report 2025 data included in the policy note, global fiber production increased from approximately 58 million tons in 2000 to 132 million tons by 2024. If current trends continue, this figure is expected to exceed 169 million tons by 2030. The study states that the main driving force behind this increase is fossil fuel-based synthetic fibers, primarily polyester, whose production rose to 78 million tons in 2024 and which alone constitutes 59% of the global fiber market.
Sedat Gündoğdu explains these findings in the report as follows: “Although the sector's use of raw fossil resources is increasing and the use of recycled materials is coming to the forefront in the name of sustainability, the marginal position of recycled fibers in the sector has largely remained unchanged historically. As of 2024, only 7.6% of the global fiber market consists of recycled fibers, of which 6.9% (more than 90% of all recycled fibers) is derived from recycled polyester obtained almost entirely from plastic bottles. In contrast, the share of textile-to-textile recycling remains below 1% globally. This picture points to a deep structural mismatch between the textile sector's current business model based on absolute production growth and its claims regarding climate goals, resource efficiency, and circularity.”
A roadmap should be prepared to reduce the amount of synthetic fibers.
- According to the policy note, some of the necessary measures to solve the problem are listed as follows:
- Time-bound and binding targets should be defined for the absolute reduction of synthetic fiber use in the textile sector.
- A national roadmap should be prepared in Türkiye to reduce the amount of synthetic fibers, including targets for 2030 and 2040.
- Recycled synthetic fibers should not be automatically considered sustainable. Green public procurement, R&D support, and transition subsidies should be provided for linen, hemp, wool, jute, and agricultural waste-based fibers.
- Chemical exposure should be addressed within the scope of occupational health legislation. Living wages and climate risk adaptation measures should be added to contracts between brands and suppliers.
- Continuous and targeted inspections should be implemented in regions with high levels of female, child, and migrant labor. Informal employment and human rights violations should be deterred by severe penalties.
- Proof of synthetic content, suitability for reuse, and final disposal should be mandatory in the export of used and waste textiles.
- Maximum microfiber emission thresholds should be defined for new textile products.
- Information on fiber content, place of production, worker health risks, and microfiber potential should be made publicly available through digital product passports.
