The line graph illustrates the global demand for four different types of textiles – Polyester, Cotton, Cellulosic, and Wool – over a 35-year period starting from 1980.
Overall, it is clear that the total fiber demand increased for almost all categories except for wool. Polyester saw the most dramatic growth overtaking cotton to become the most popular textile by the end of the period.
Looking at the details in 1980 cotton was the most demanded fiber at roughly 14 million tons while polyester was significantly lower at around 5 million tons. However, polyester demand grew steadily until the mid 90s, after which it surged rapidly. By 2015, it reached a peak of nearly 70 million tons, which was more than double the demand of any other textile.
In contrast, the demand for cotton grew much more slowly. It increased to approximately 30 million tons by 2015 but it remained well below the level of polyester since the year 2000. Meanwhile, cellulosic and wool started at very low levels. While cellulosic showed a slight upward trend to nearly 10 million tons by the end of the period, the demand for wool remained almost flat and even declined slightly towards 2015 making it the least popular textile in the graph.