Carbon Footprint of Cardigan

This page provides an in-depth analysis of the carbon footprint of cardigans, a popular knitwear product. Sustainability leaders can use these insights to identify emissions hotspots, benchmark performance, and drive impactful reductions.

26.85 kg CO2e The Carbon Footprint of a Cardigan Cardigan Carbon Footprint
What's the Carbon Footprint of A Cardigan?

What's the Carbon Footprint of A Cardigan?

The average cardigan has a carbon footprint of 37.97 kg CO₂e across its lifecycle, based on an analysis of 18,353 products. This footprint covers emissions from material production through manufacturing and assembly.
  • Minimum footprint: 7.16 kg CO2e
  • Median footprint: 26.85 kg CO2e
  • Maximum footprint: 112.42 kg CO2e

Carbon Emissions by Process Step in Cardigan Production

Each Cardigan's footprint includes emissions from multiple manufacturing stages. The following process steps were identified as carbon hotspots for Cardigan:
  • Raw Materials 6.61 kg CO₂e
  • Yarn Formation 0.61 kg CO₂e
  • Raw Materials and Yarn Formation 1.42 kg CO₂e
Carbon Emissions by Process Step in Cardigan Production

Key Insights from the Environmental Data on Cardigan

Raw Material Impacts

The raw materials phase accounts for 6.61 kg CO₂e, a significant 17.41% of the total 37.97 kg CO₂e footprint for cardigans. Sustainable material choices can reduce this impact.

Yarn Formation Emissions

Yarn formation is another notable hotspot at 0.61 kg CO₂e or 1.61% of the total footprint. Improving energy efficiency in this process step presents an opportunity.

Combined Material Impacts

When raw materials and yarn formation are combined, they account for 1.42 kg CO₂e or 3.74% of the total cardigan footprint, highlighting their cumulative effect.

Other Process Contributions

Other manufacturing steps like coloration (1.61 kg CO₂e), finishing (0.43 kg CO₂e), and assembly (0.14 kg CO₂e) also contribute smaller but notable shares to the overall footprint.

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References

Data sourced from Carbonfact’s proprietary database, powered by over 50 million LCAs run on textile, fashion, and footwear products. The methodology is aligned with the EU Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) and adapted for product category specificity.

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