Carbon footprint of silk
Our calculator counts 80.9 kg CO₂e for every kilogram of silk in a product made in India. Below is where that figure comes from, how sure we are of it, and what it adds up to in finished products: 1,781 products in our catalogue, from 60 brands, contain silk.
Where the figure comes from
The factor is Silk (mulberry) fibre - agricultural stage, for IN. Source: Primary: Astudillo M.F., Thalwitz G., Vollrath F. (2014). Life cycle assessment of Indian silk. Journal of Cleaner Production 81:158-167. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.06.007. Value read in citing peer-reviewed review: Liu S., Liu H., Meng Y.,, data year 2014.
Status: Contested. Published, but sources disagree or the scope is non-standard; includes every screening proxy. Sensitivity analysis is mandatory.
An emission factor is the greenhouse gas emitted per unit of something, here per kilogram of material up to the point it is ready to be made into a product. Read emission factors explained, or see every factor and source in our methodology.
From material to product
A kilogram of silk is only the start. Making it into yarn, fabric, a sheet or a part, dyeing or finishing it, making the product, and packing and moving it all add emissions. So does the use and disposal of the product, for a whole-life figure.
That is why products with the same material can have quite different footprints: the weight, the factory's energy and the processes matter as much as the material itself.
Products made only of silk
Median whole-life footprint per item of catalogue products whose only listed material is silk, by kind of product. Compare within a row, not across rows: different products do different jobs.
| Kind of product | Median, kg CO₂e per item | Products |
|---|---|---|
| Saree | 71.4 | 188 |
| Scarf | 18.1 | 136 |
| Dress | 41.7 | 82 |
| T-shirt | 21.6 | 48 |
| Shirt | 29.9 | 36 |
| Set / jumpsuit | 59.5 | 32 |
Screening estimates from product listings with the ISO 14067 method and cited emission factors, not measurements of a particular factory.
Use your own data
If your mill or supplier can give you a footprint for the silk you buy, use it: it describes your material rather than a typical one, and raises your primary data share. Then footprint your product with your own data, or start from a product link.
Questions
What is the carbon footprint of silk per kg?
Our calculator uses 80.9 kg CO₂e per kg of silk for products made in India, taken from Primary: Astudillo M.F., Thalwitz G., Vollrath F. (2014). Life cycle assessment of Indian silk. Journal of Cleaner Production 81:158-167. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.06.007. Value read in citing peer-reviewed review: Liu S., Liu H., Meng Y., (data year 2014). Other studies give other values, because farming or production methods, energy and system boundaries differ.
Does the material's footprint equal the product's footprint?
No. The material is one part. Spinning, weaving or forming, dyeing, making the product, packaging, transport, use and disposal are added on top, and offcuts mean more material is bought than ends up in the product.
What is the footprint of a product made only of silk?
In our catalogue, the median saree made only of silk comes to 71.4 kg CO₂e per item over its whole life, across 188 products. These are screening estimates from product listings.
How reliable is this emission factor?
Its status in our library is “Contested”: Published, but sources disagree or the scope is non-standard; includes every screening proxy. Sensitivity analysis is mandatory. A supplier's own data for the material, such as a mill's footprint, replaces it when available.