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Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Polyester Degrowth in the U.S. Fashion Industry: A Legislative Framework

Authors
  • Albert Lin orcid logo (Cornell University)
  • Paige Tomfohrde orcid logo (Cornell University)
  • Veda Goverdhanam (Cornell University)
  • Sara Wanyana-Tyaba (Cornell University)
  • Iris Yiqun Luo orcid logo (Cornell University)
  • Uno Jin (Cornell University)
  • Yi Yao (Cornell University)
  • Van Dyk Lewis (Cornell University)

Abstract

Polyester is ubiquitous in fashion. The production and consumption of this synthetic fiber in textiles and clothing has led to dire environmental consequences. Textile Exchange highlighted that polyester alone contributed the highest amount of greenhouse gas emissions of any single fiber in 2022, with 47 million tons of fiber responsible for an estimated 125 million tons of CO2e. This article calls for the degrowth of polyester in the United States market and proposes legislative changes to accomplish this goal.

Keywords: sustainability, degrowth, polyester, legislation

How to Cite:

Lin, A., Tomfohrde, P., Goverdhanam, V., Wanyana-Tyaba, S., Luo, I. Y., Jin, U., Yao, Y. & Lewis, V. D., (2025) “Polyester Degrowth in the U.S. Fashion Industry: A Legislative Framework”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 1(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.21374

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Published on
2025-12-17

Peer Reviewed

License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0