Natural is an origin. It is not an impact score.
Make room for context when comparing what clothes are made of.
Reviewed 2026-09-22. Open in the interactive atlas.
Define the comparison
A kilogram of fiber, a square meter of fabric and a garment worn one hundred times are different comparison units. Before accepting an impact claim, find the functional unit, system boundary and assumptions.
Look beyond the raw material
Farming, chemical processing, dyeing, energy supply, transport, laundering and disposal can all contribute. Two fabrics sharing a fiber name may have very different production histories.
Keep distinct questions distinct
Animal welfare, worker conditions, greenhouse emissions, water stress and microfiber release are not interchangeable. A strong result on one measure does not settle the others.
Prefer useful specificity
Ask for the growing region, processing plant, composition and expected lifetime. A modest, verifiable statement is more useful than an unexplained green score. This atlas deliberately avoids a single universal sustainability rating.
Sources & further reading
- Textile Exchange: Materials Market Report 2025
2024 global production data, published September 2025. This is a dated snapshot, not a live counter.
- Textile Exchange: Material standards
Official entry point for scope, claims and current versions of material standards.