Environmental intelligence platform - built for apparel and footwear brands, and their suppliers.
What’s are the CO2e emissions of Cotton?
The carbon footprint of cotton averages 29.1 kg CO2e per kg, with a median of 31.3 kg CO2e per kg. CO2 emissions from cotton production are primarily driven by synthetic fertilizer use, irrigation energy, and pesticide manufacturing, making greenhouse gas emissions from cotton cultivation particularly significant in the textile industry.
- Average footprint per kg: 29.1 kgCO2e
- Median footprint per kg: 31.3 kgCO2e
Emissions by Process Step in Cotton Production
The footprint of Cotton includes emissions from multiple processing stages. The following process steps were identified as carbon hotspots for Cotton production:
- Textile Formation: 36.0%
- Raw Materials: 21.4%
- Yarn Formation: 14.2%
How Does Cotton Compare to Alternatives?
Recycled cotton production generates 17.8 kg CO2e per kg, representing a 39% reduction compared to virgin cotton at 29.1 kg CO2e per kg, while organic production shows minimal variation at 28.9 kg CO2e per kg.
- Virgin Cotton per kg: 29.1 kgCO2e
- Organic Cotton per kg: 28.9 kgCO2e
- Recycled Cotton per kg: 17.8 kgCO2e
Cotton Water Consumption
Cotton water consumption averages 143.7 m3 per kg for conventional production, while the water footprint Cotton per kg drops to 12.7 m3 when recycled, demonstrating significant water usage Cotton reduction potential.
- Average water use per kg: 143.7 m3
- Median water use per kg: 161.5 m3
Cotton deep dive
Read our extensive analysis on the environmental footprint of Cotton
Carbonfact for Suppliers
Free directory where 300+ brands discover innovative materials, and suppliers share LCA data confidentially.
CHOSEN by 300+ BRANDS AND SUPPLIERS
Case study
"Shoes can consist of up to 1500 components. Before Carbonfact, we asked our developers to weigh every single piece but such a manual approach is not scalable. Carbonfact helped us in deriving rules to overcome data gaps by creating accurate assumptions."
Product Sustainability Lead at On
%201.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
Case study
"With Carbonfact we can do full product LCAs on all of our products. Thanks to measuring things early on, we can simulate how a new product is going to have a different impact compared to the current version. For example, one of our new products is expected to decrease its footprint by a fourth just by designing it differently."
Strategy & Sustainability at La Sportiva
Case study
"We needed a solution that could handle the complexities of the apparel supply chain, provide year-to-date insights, and support with detailed scenario analyses for our supply chain. For us Carbonfact is not just a Carbon Management Software, but an extension of our sustainability team."
Secrétaire Générale at A.P.C.
Case study
"What's really special about Carbonfact is the way that it can work alongside the VF brands to help identify where there are gaps in our product impact data. But also helping us bridge towards improving that data. So it's much more of a partner to solve the challenges we have."
Senior Sustainability Manager, The Northface
Case study
"The Explorer is, for sure, my favorite feature. I love the ability to look at the breakdown of the carbon footprint per product line, for processes or on a material basis. That's so dynamic that we're able to leverage it in different ways depending on the projects that we're working on or the teams that we're engaging with."
Director of Planet & People Impact at Burton
Case study
.svg){kind=small}
"Carbonfact's offerings, particularly its product-level focus for footwear and apparel, ensures we can both measure our carbon footprint and actively find ways to reduce it. Carbonfact has been instrumental in helping us model different scenarios and make informed decisions that align with our sustainability goals."
Sustainability at Allbirds
Case study
"We have moved from spend-based carbon accounting into Carbonfact to prioritize primary data and get more accurate calculations. The main reason for us to choose Carbonfact is that we now not only get our company's total carbon footprint but also break it down for each of our products."
Global Sustainability Manager at Happy Socks
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.
