Fashion industry linked to almost a third of global farmland, report finds

The fashion industry influences almost a third of the world’s agricultural land when leather and wool are included alongside textile crops, according to a new report from researchers at the University of Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise and Environment and DIRT Charity.

The report suggests that fashion has influence over 30 percent of global farmland, equal to 1.45 billion hectares. The figure is significantly higher than past estimates that focused mainly on textile crops such as cotton, hemp and flax. The report specifically measures land the industry is in a position to influence through its sourcing.

In a statement, Sam Fankhauser, report author and Oxford Smith School director, said: “Once leather and wool are counted alongside textile crops, roughly a third of the world's agricultural land is linked to what this industry buys. A brand changing how it sources is changing how land is farmed.”

The report further argues that the environmental impact of textiles can vary depending on how materials are produced. For example, leather’s reported lifecycle emissions range from 8.5 to 151.9 kilograms of CO2e per square metre. The report also highlights differences between mycelium-based materials, with two examples showing emissions ranging from 2.76 to 57.15 kilograms of CO2e per square metre.

DIRT Charity founder and report co-author Arizona Muse said fashion has the opportunity to influence agricultural practices through sourcing. “Every brand has a contract coming up for renewal with a supplier. They have the opportunity to ask how the fibre was farmed, to demand – contractually – that the fibre be sourced from biodynamic or organic farms, and pay for the necessary transition.”

The report calls on fashion brands and industry stakeholders to expand their sustainability efforts to support agricultural systems that are environmentally sound and socially just. It recommends setting sourcing targets based on farming methods and verified outcomes rather than fibre type, auditing environmental claims and sustainability labels, and funding the transition towards regenerative biodynamic agriculture and processing.

The report highlights evidence that organic and biodynamic farming can support biodiversity and improve soil health. In Egypt, for example, biodynamic insect control reduced pesticide use to less than 10 percent while cotton yields increased by almost 30 percent, while 12-year trials in India found improvements in soil quality and microbial communities.

The findings come six days before the EU’s Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive takes effect on 27 September, introducing restrictions on generic environmental claims and sustainability labels.