Carbon Neutrality Potential of Textile Products Made from Plant-Derived Fibers

Junran Liu, Shuyi Liu, Lisha Zhu, Lirong Sun, Ying Zhang, Xin Li and Laili Wang ()
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Junran Liu: School of Fashion Design & Engineering, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Shuyi Liu: School of Fashion Design & Engineering, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Lisha Zhu: College of Textile Science and Engineering (International Institute of Silk), Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Lirong Sun: Office for Social Responsibility of China National Textile and Apparel Council, Beijing 100027, China
Ying Zhang: School of Fashion Design & Engineering, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Xin Li: School of Fashion Design & Engineering, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Laili Wang: School of Fashion Design & Engineering, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-11

Abstract: During the growth of biomass, there are two carbon storage paths for plant-derived fibers. One path is to assimilate carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and temporarily store it in textile plants. Besides, the carbon can be captured and stored in soil. The carbon storage capacity of textile products made from plant-derived fibers such as cotton, flax, hemp, kenaf and bamboo fiber, etc., is a non-negligible part of greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting and reporting. However, there is a lack of systematic methods to evaluate carbon storage and the delayed emission effect of plant-derived fibers. In this study, the carbon storage and emission times of 100% hemp T-shirt, 100% hemp slipcover, and 100% hemp fiber handicraft were evaluated by using the soil organic carbon method, dry weight biomass method, and modeling method. The results revealed that the CO 2 storage of 1 kg hemp fiber is 1.833 kg. Meanwhile, the delayed emission effects of carbon temporarily stored in the 3 kinds of hemp fiber products are 3.83%, 19.68%, and 41.12% at different lifespans (i.e., 5, 25, or 50 years), in which case the landfill option for hemp fiber products may be preferable from carbon storage effect perspective. The results suggest that plant-derived fibers have a positive impact on climate change due to CO 2 storage, and that the carbon storage effect improves with the continued lifespan of the product. By quantifying carbon storage and the delayed emission effect of plant-derived fibers, it is beneficial to understand the potential for reducing carbon emissions, which in turn helps to promote and develop more environmentally friendly and low-carbon production processes and products.

Keywords: carbon storage; carbon footprint; temporary carbon storage effect; plant-derived fibers; textile products (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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