Environmental footprints of cotton and cotton fibres

ifeu paper 01/2022

The environmental impact of the textile industry has been increasingly discussed in recent years. Cotton, as one of the most widely used fibres in the production of clothing and home textiles, plays a significant role in the environmental impact of textile production. However, the environmental footprints of cotton and cotton fibres vary widely in the literature. This ifeu paper presents, consistently derived environmental footprints for conventionally and organically grown cotton and cotton fibres produced worldwide. In addition to the carbon footprint, which is important from a climate protection perspective, other environmental impact categories such as the water, land and phosphate footprints are also considered.