Charted: Carbon Emissions of the World's Biggest Fashion Brands
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Carbon Emissions of the World’s Biggest Fashion Brands

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10 months ago

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See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.

A bar chart ranking the world's largest fashion companies by their 2022 reported CO2 emissions.

CO₂ Emissions of the World’s Biggest Fashion Brands

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

The global fashion industry is responsible for significant CO₂ emissions, water consumption, and landfill waste, according to the UN Environment Programme. 

This graphic by Selin Oğuz explores one aspect of that environmental footprint—CO₂ emissions—by visualizing the emissions of the world’s largest publicly-listed fashion companies, using their company sustainability reports. 

What Are The World’s Biggest Fashion Brands?  

Here are the world’s largest publicly listed fashion companies by market cap as of March 16, 2024, and some of the brand names in their arsenals.  

CompanySelect owned companies
LVMHLouis Vuitton, Dior, GIVENCHY
InditexZara, Pull&Bear, Massimo Dutti
NikeConverse, Jordan
TJX CompaniesT.J. Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods
Fast RetailingUniqlo
Cintas/
Lululemon/
KeringGucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta
Ross StoresRoss Dress for Less
AdidasRuntastic
H&MCOS, ARKET, H&M Home

Together, the above companies are worth more than $1.2 trillion in market capitalization. They also accounted for 73 million metric tons of CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e) emissions in 2022, which is comparable to Morocco’s total emissions in 2023.

Carbon Footprints of the Fashion Giants

In 2022, Nike, Inditex, and Adidas were among the largest contributors to emissions worldwide, among fashion companies. 

A significant amount of this consisted of scope 3 emissions, which are indirect emissions that occur up and downstream of a company’s operations. Some examples of scope 3 emissions are those resulting from the production of raw materials and disposal of products after use.

CompanyReporting time frame Scope 1 EmissionsScope 2 EmissionsScope 3 EmissionsTotal Emissions (Metric tons of CO₂e)
NikeJune 1, 2021–May 31, 202250,868248,93517,922,22618,222,029
InditexFebruary 1, 2022–January 31, 202311,232451,43017,223,48617,686,148
AdidasJanuary 1, 2022–December 31, 202221,856142,2937,527,4987,691,647
H&MDecember 1, 2021–November 30, 202223,056511,5337,092,9887,627,577
LVMHJanuary 1, 2022–December 31, 202267,393654,7906,135,0006,857,183
Fast RetailingSeptember 1, 2021–August 31, 20229,738445,1605,740,8726,195,770
KeringJanuary 1, 2022–December 31, 202221,660105,9582,813,2252,940,843
CintasJune 1, 2021–May 31, 2022Breakdown unavailable Breakdown unavailable Breakdown unavailable 1,823,972
lululemonJanuary 1, 2022–December 31, 20223,91024,9501,691,0081,719,868
TJX CompaniesFebruary 1, 2022–January 31, 2023128,4501,039,21961,8001,229,469
Ross StoresFebruary 1, 2022–January 31, 202329,832481,229100,604611,665

It’s important to note that scope 3 emissions are known for being difficult to measure. This may give way to the possibility that some companies present underreported numbers in their sustainability reports. 

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This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Chart: The Plummeting Cost of Renewable Energy

Rapid production growth and structural improvements are driving down the cost of renewable energy significantly.

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10 hours ago

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July 7, 2025

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Line chart showing the declining cost of renewable energy since 2013.

Chart: The Plummeting Cost of Renewable Energy

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

  • The price of concentrated solar power declined by 54% since 2014 and solar photovoltaic (PV) declined by 75%.
  • Concentrated solar power, which uses mirrors to produce concentrated sunlight, stood at a $53 billion market in 2023.
  • Wind power is at least 60% less expensive than in 2014, driven by larger generating capacity and technical advancements improving installation costs.

Renewable energy is getting cheaper—fast.

In 2023, 81% of new renewable power capacity was more cost-effective than fossil fuel alternatives. This follows Wright’s Law, which observes that technology costs fall as production scales, a trend playing out in green energy today.

This graphic shows the cost of renewable energy over the past decade, based on data from IRENA via Our World in Data.

Timeline: Renewable Energy Costs Since 2014

In the table below, we show how each of the following green energy sources have witnessed double-digit cost declines in 10 years:

Cost per kWh ($)Concentrated solar
power		Offshore windBioenergySolar PVOnshore wind
20230.120.070.070.040.03
20220.120.080.060.050.03
20210.120.080.070.050.04
20200.120.090.080.060.04
20190.240.090.070.070.05
20180.160.110.060.080.05
20170.280.110.080.090.06
20160.290.120.080.120.07
20150.250.150.080.130.07
20140.260.190.090.180.09
Total change
2014-2023		-54.2%-60.0%-19.4%-75.0%-62.3%

As we can see, solar PV energy is now 75% cheaper than in 2014.

As costs become increasingly favorable, installed solar capacity is growing by about twofold every three years. In 2025, an estimated $450 billion in investment is projected to go toward solar energy worldwide alone.

Meanwhile, the cost of onshore wind has fallen by 62.3% and offshore by 60%. Over the decade, capacity has similarly boomed as wind turbines have grown bigger. In this way, larger blades produce wind power more efficiently, driving down costs and requiring fewer turbines.

Together, falling costs and rapid capacity growth are strengthening the case for a shift away from fossil fuels. Big tech is among those leading the charge, pouring billions into data centers where green energy is projected to account for 40% of new power capacity.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic from a U.S.-based perspective, check out this graphic on the growth in renewable energy capacity over the past decade in America.

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