Tomorrow is the 8th anniversary of the collapse of the eight-storey Rana Plaza building in Dhaka, Bangladesh that housed five garment factories. More than 1,100 workers lost their lives that day and thousands more were injured. It was, to date, the worst industrial incident to hit the garment industry. The disaster drew attention to the human cost behind the clothes we wear and also inspired more people to start thinking about the broader topic of sustainability in the fashion industry.

Here, in no particular order, are 15 statistics about the fashion industry.

• 97% of the clothing sold in America is made overseas.
• Garment workers are often forced to work 14 to 16 hours a day, 7 days a week in buildings with no ventilation.
• 75% to 85% of the world’s garment workers are women and they are amongst the lowest paid workers in the world.
• American women aged 35 to 44 spend an average of $960 on clothes each year, the highest among all age groups.
• On average, an article of clothing in a woman’s closet is worn only seven times before being discarded.
• The average American throws away approximately 81.5 pounds of clothing every year.
• Approximately 10 million tons of clothes are sent to landfills every year.
• Less than 11% of fashion brands have implemented recycling strategies for their products.
• The fashion industry is responsible for 8% to 10% of carbon emissions globally, more than those emitted by all international flights and maritime shipping combined.
• Solvents and dyes used in the manufacturing of clothing are responsible for 20% of the world’s industrial water pollution.
• About 1,800 gallons of water are needed to produce the cotton in one pair jeans, and 400 gallons to produce the cotton in a shirt.
• 23% of all chemicals produced in the world are used in the textile industry.
• Nearly 70 million barrels of oil are used each year to make polyester fibre which is the most commonly used fibre in our clothing.
• Polyester fibre takes more than 200 years to decompose.
• Today, 400% more clothing is produced than 20 years ago.

I think that you’ll agree that many of these facts are disturbing. We all wear clothes, so in a sense, we’re all responsible. The hard question is what are we going to do about it? Do we care enough to do anything at all?

Thankfully, there is some good news on this front. A recent survey of 2,000 respondents from the US and the UK revealed that more than half want the fashion industry to be more sustainable and many are willing to pay more for sustainable clothing. Younger consumers in particular are seriously concerned with social and environmental causes. As they increasingly back up their beliefs with their shopping habits, countless brands are responding by doing their bit to transform the fashion industry for the better. We can also do our part by buying fewer, better quality items and wearing them longer. They may cost more to purchase, but their extended life will make them a more affordable option in the long run.