The manufacturing and sale of textile goods and clothing generate 2.5 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, says cKinetics, which aims at identifying solutions to reduce emissions.

This represents 7.25 per cent of total manmade emissions presently and is expected to reach 9.5 per cent by 2030. Even if leading players meet their climate commitments, textile and apparel sector’s emissions from production are likely to increase in this decade.

Increasing consumer demand for textile goods and clothing as well as growing use of polyester are some factors contributing most to the increase. The textile sector is intertwined with everyone’s daily lives and its value chain employs over 400 million people globally. And the sector’s highest impact is concentrated in emerging economies.

Hence, there are several interlinked components. Some 165 companies across the globe and across the production value-chain (from fiber all the way to product) generate and influence 608 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions (or about 24 per cent of the sector’s emissions). In the last few years, some 50 of these companies have set climate goals and shared details on them. However, these goals are not sufficient as per the analysis and more companies would have to step up.