Carbon footprint on denim manufacturing

Abstract

Carbon footprint, also called carbon profile, defines the overall amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with a product throughout the entire supply chain, from raw materials to end-of-life recovery and disposal. Electricity production in power plants, heating with fossil fuels, transport operations, other industrial and agricultural processes, among others, cause these emissions. Indicators such as the global warming potential (GWP) are used to quantify the carbon footprint. As defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, GWP is an indicator that reflects the relative effect of a GHG in terms of climate change considering a fixed time period, such as 100 years (GWP100). The GWP for different emissions can then be added together to give a single indicator that expresses the overall contribution of these emissions to climate change. Denim garments are the most popular clothing worldwide; many countries are taking measures to reduce carbon emissions through the use of organic cotton, environmentally friendly methods of manufacturing, and optimized denim manufacturing. Carbon credits have been adopted by denim manufacturers; this helps them to achieve overall goals of carbon emissions. This chapter explains the concept of carbon footprint in denim manufacturing and describes case studies, difficulties facing the industry, and optimized denim manufacturing techniques that reduce the carbon footprint.