Evaluating the Impacts of Different Car Washing Systems on Carbon Footprint: Insights from Poland

Katarzyna Maciejewska () and Magdalena Reizer
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Katarzyna Maciejewska: Faculty of Building Services, Hydro and Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Nowowiejska 20 St., 00-653 Warsaw, Poland
Magdalena Reizer: Faculty of Building Services, Hydro and Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Nowowiejska 20 St., 00-653 Warsaw, Poland

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 4, 1-12

Abstract: With over 1 billion passenger cars worldwide, even an indiscernible carbon footprint ( CF ) of the maintenance of a single vehicle has the potential for a relatively large overall environmental effect on the part of the car washing services sector. This study presents a methodology for assessing the CF of car washing services with a focus on Polish conditions. It compares four types of professional car washes, i.e., jet, rollover, tunnel, and hand, analyzing their environmental impact based on CO 2 emissions from water heating systems, energy consumption, water supply, and wastewater treatment. The results reveal that the total CF per vehicle ranges from 0.88 kg CO 2 (hand wash with gas water heating) to 4.46 kg CO 2 (rollover wash with electric heating). The key contributors to CF are electricity usage and the water heating system applied. Annual CO 2 emissions from car washing services in Poland are estimated at between 373.5 and 709.4 Gg, representing 0.13–0.26% of the country’s total net CO 2 emissions. Transitioning entirely to hand washes could reduce the emissions of the whole sector by approximately 50%. This study highlights the environmental significance of car washing services and provides practical insights for consumers and service providers.

Keywords: car washing services; carbon footprint; CO 2 emissions; emission factor; water management; wastewater treatment; electricity consumption; sustainable development goals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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