"The fashion industry is the world's second most polluting" Yes, we heard. But what I haven't found is an academic article for this claim. Any suggestions? Closest I found was a non-academic article from 2013 : https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/kultur/modeindustrien-er-verdens-naestmest-forurenende
According to @VVFriedman too, nobody knows where this "fact" came from. She writes in 2020 : https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/18/fashion/fashion-second-biggest-polluter-fake-news.html
Then there is a 2011 which places Fashion at #10 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/apr/28/industries-sectors-carbon-emissions
actually it is this one: https://ecocult.com/now-know-fashion-5th-polluting-industry-equal-livestock/
Oh wait! @UNCTAD affirms in 2019 that indeed "But the fashion industry is considered by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), to be the second most polluting industry in the world." Can you please share your report & findings @UNCTAD ? https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1035161