Carbon Footprint of Fashion: Assessing and Addressing Carbon Emissions in Textile Production

The textile and apparel industry on global carbon emissions contributes approximately 10% to worldwide emissions. This sector, a major environmental polluter, involves energy-intensive processes from fiber production to textile care and disposal, including recycling and landfill. This chapter is focused on assessing textile products’ CO2 emissions throughout their lifecycle, addressing the role of carbon footprinting in understanding the relative importance of different greenhouse gases. This comprehensive book chapter focusses on the approaches for understanding and reducing the carbon footprint of apparel products, considering global production trends, consumer behavior, legislative impacts, and the implementation of sustainable practices and technologies. Initially, the chapter reviews various studies that highlight the environmental impacts of apparel products. It then presents data on the carbon footprint of the modern apparel industry and explains the approaches to measuring carbon footprint in industrial settings. Finally, the chapter discusses policy, regulation, and industry standards for reducing the carbon footprint in the apparel industry.