​Countering the carbon cost of clothing

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This environmental problem has been exacerbated by the growth of FAST FASHION. 

Australia's Climate Council (2021) reported that:

• between the years 2000 and 2014 the world's production of clothes more than doubled,
• people keep their clothes for only half the time as they did in 2000,
• the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is incinerated or dumped in landfill every second,
• each year the world discards enough clothing to fill Sydney Harbour with the waste.

And the trends are not reversing.   In 2024 Australians reportedly sent over 200,000 tonnes of textile waste each year to landfill, with more than 100,000 tonnes being shipped overseas.  But while ultra-fast fashion brands such as Shein and Temu were projected to make over $2 billion in sales in Australia in 2024,  Australian clothing businesses were reportedly unable to compete with the low fast fashion prices, and many have closed down.

Which is why we want to increase awareness of the environmental cost of clothing.  We hope that more consumers start to focus not just on the monetary cost of clothes but also on their environmental cost.

One way of measuring the environmental cost of clothing is to measure the carbon emissions generated by an item of clothing over its lifetime.

Lifecycle assessments measure the lifetime carbon cost of a garment: from the resourcing of fibres, to manufacture, distribution, use and disposal.

Various lifecycle assessments have found:

• a dress to have an average lifetime carbon cost of 14.8kg carbon emissions (see source), another study found an average lifetime carbon cost of 22kg of carbon emissions (see source).
• a cotton t-shirt to have a lifetime carbon cost of 7kg carbon emissions (see source), while a polyester t-shirt was reportedly found to have a lifetime carbon cost of 25.6kg (see source).
• a cotton white long-sleeved, long shirt was found to have an average lifetime carbon cost of 10.75kg (see source).
• a jacket was found to have an average lifetime carbon cost of 13.3kg carbon emissions (see source).
• a suit or ensemble was found to have an average lifetime carbon cost of 16.8kg carbon emissions (see source).
• a pair of Levi 501 jeans was found to have an average lifetime carbon cost of 33.4kg (see source).
• a cycling jersey was found to have an average lifetime carbon cost of 8.24kg carbon emissions but when the jersey was made of recycled material, it was found to have an average lifetime carbon cost of 5.69kg carbon emissions (see source).

Using estimates based on existing studies, we can try to estimate the carbon cost of each item of clothing.  Then with the estimates, we can make better choices, including perhaps offsetting the lifetime carbon cost of the clothing we buy.  

High volumes of polyester garments from fast fashion manufacturers have a high carbon cost, and therefore a significant impact on our environment - consumers should be aware of this cost and factor it into their decision making when considering their wardrobe choices.