Low Carbon Textiles & Fashion Innovations & Startups Report

Comprehensive Showcase of Global Low Carbon Textiles & Fashion Innovations & Startups

From CLIMAFIX, the leader in climate innovation intelligence

Low Carbon Textiles & Fashion Introduction:

The textile & apparel sector is responsible for emitting over 2 billion tons of CO₂emissions annually, about 4% of the total CO₂ emissions. A significant portion of CO2 emissions happen upstream in the supply chain – cotton cultivation alone is responsible for about 220 million tons of CO₂ per annum, about 10% of the industry’s total emissions. Polyester production for textiles emits about three times as much CO₂ as that of cotton.

At the other end of the value chain is textile waste. Over 100 billion units of apparel and about 15 billion pairs of shoes are purchased every year, translating to well over 10 pieces of apparel per person and about 2 pairs of shoes. Such large numbers per capita also mean that significant amounts of waste are generated, with a large portion of them going to the landfill, giving rise to additional emissions.

Decarbonization solutions for the textile and apparel sector need to be implemented at many points along its value chain. Solutions to grow cotton with far fewer CO₂ emissions are being attempted; and at the same time, using a less resource-intensive crop like hemp to replace cotton is also being explored. Downstream of the value chain, efforts are on to significantly increase the recycling rate of textiles, and a small but fast-growing sharing and renting economy could both cut down the number of apparel purchases and the amount of waste going to the landfill.

Decarbonizing the textile and apparel sector could be a lot more challenging than it appears because of the challenge of replacing cotton as the main natural fibre, and also because of the difficulty in changing people’s fast fashion habits and lifestyles.

For the 2020-2030 period, innovations in textile sector decarbonization are likely in textiles rentals & sharing, more modular apparel for ease of disassembly, textile waste management, performance enhancement, energy efficient methods for yarn and fabric production, plant-based leather, use of digital tools for eliminating waste and excess purchase (including virtualization of fashion), repair and alterations, and software for recyclable design.

The Low Carbon Textiles & Fashion Innovations & Startups Report provides insights on the following: