Fashion Industry Influences Nearly 30% of Global Farmland, Oxford Report Finds

Study highlights wide variations in environmental impact within the same fibre type and links production methods to textile sustainability

The fashion industry influences around 30% of global farmland, equivalent to 1.45 billion hectares, when leather and wool are considered alongside textile crops such as cotton, hemp and flax, according to a new report from the University of Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, produced with DIRT Charity.

The report finds that the environmental impact of textile materials can vary substantially depending on how they are produced. It suggests that production methods and energy sources can create larger differences in environmental performance within a single material than between different fibre types.

Leather and Wool Expand Fashion’s Agricultural Footprint

Earlier estimates of fashion’s agricultural footprint largely focused on textile crops. The new assessment also includes leather and wool, resulting in an estimated 1.45 billion hectares of global farmland being influenced by fashion-related demand.

Report author and Director of the University of Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, Sam Fankhauser, 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. That is the scale of the opportunity, and our review suggests it is currently underestimated. A brand changing how it sources is changing how land is farmed.”

The report argues that fibre labels alone provide limited information about a textile’s environmental impact because production conditions can vary significantly.

Production Methods Can Change Material Impacts

The report cites life-cycle studies showing a wide range of impacts for individual materials. For leather, assessments range from 8.5 to 152 kg CO2e per square metre.

The report also compares two mycelium-based leather alternatives. One has an assessed footprint of 2.76 kg CO2e per square metre, representing a 92% reduction compared with approximately 33 kg CO2e per square metre for bovine leather. Another mycelium material, produced using a coal-heavy electricity grid, is assessed at 57 kg CO2e per square metre, higher than the bovine leather figure used for comparison.

Wood-based fibres show similar variation. One analysis cited in the report places viscose emissions between 0.20 and 8.30 tonnes of CO2e per tonne, a fortyfold difference associated with production and energy sources.

Farming Practices and Textile Agriculture

The report also examines the relationship between agricultural practices and the environmental performance of textile crops.

According to the findings, organic and biodynamic farming systems are associated with higher species richness than conventional agriculture across beneficial insects, soil fauna and farmland birds.

In Egypt, biodynamic insect-control methods reduced pesticide use to less than 10%, while cotton yields increased by almost 30%. The report also cites twelve-year trials involving Indian cotton rotations, which found improvements in soil quality and support for microbial communities under biodynamic systems.

Across several long-term studies, biodynamic agriculture showed improved soil-health outcomes compared with both organic and conventional systems. The report’s lead authors, Megan Siyu Liu and Clara Cecil, note that further research is needed, including examination of trade-offs related to total land use and long-term viability.

Focus on Farming Methods and Sourcing

DIRT Charity founder and report co-author Arizona Muse said: “Brands have spent a decade arguing about which natural fibre is more sustainable, many with little idea about how these fibres are farmed. DIRT Charity sees that fashion– as a sourcing power– has the opportunity to regenerate up to 30% of earth's agricultural land through transitioning to regeneratively farmed biodynamic fibre. Healing the surface of the earth from toxic pollution while clothing humans.”

Muse also said: “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 the textile and fashion industry to set sourcing targets based on farming methods and verified outcomes, audit environmental claims and sustainability labels, and support the transition towards regenerative agriculture and processing.

Demeter Textile Standard Under Development

DIRT Charity works internationally to promote biodynamic agriculture and farming systems focused on soil health, biodiversity and farming communities.

In partnership with Biodynamic Federation Demeter International, the organisation is developing the Demeter Textile Standard. The proposed certification covers areas including soil health, biodiversity, ecological regeneration, animal welfare and human wellbeing.

Beyond farming, the standard is intended to assess the textile processing and manufacturing chain, including fair pay, safe working conditions, reduced exposure to toxins and the compostability of finished garments. It covers 11 raw material categories, including dyestuff, cotton and silk.

EU Green Claims Rules Highlighted

The report comes six days before the EU Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive takes effect on September 27, 2026. The directive restricts generic environmental claims and requires sustainability labels presented to EU consumers to be based on independently verified, certified schemes.

The report’s findings are also being presented by Arizona Muse at Eco Age’s Convening the Next-Generation Materials Transition Forum at the Fashion Institute of Technology during Climate Week NYC on September 22.