Wearing the Green in China

Low carbon consumption is becoming the trend for the textile and apparel industry

By TANG YUANKAI

BEAUTY IN GREEN: A model wears an environmentally friendly dress designed by famous Chinese designer Liang Zi during the 2004 China International Fashion Week in Beijing. The dress is made of handmade silk dyed in plant juice, an ancient method of cloth making in China (PANG XINGLEI)

On November 24, 2009, the State Council, China's cabinet, said China was to reduce carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 40 to 45 percent by 2020 compared to 2005.

The textiles and apparel industry of China, which is internationally competitive, is setting energy-saving and emissions reduction targets.

Greenhouse gas emissions during the entire lifecycle of apparel production include the farming of raw materials, industrial production, transport, packaging and retail. It ends with consumers' washing, drying, ironing and the final disposal of the garments.

A pair of terylene trousers weighing 400 grams consumes nearly 200 kwh during their two-year life, if they are washed on average 92 times and then dried in machines and ironed. That means during two years, the trousers are responsible for 47 kg of carbon dioxide emissions, 117 times their own weight.

Compared to a synthetic fiber, cotton, leather, and some other natural materials consume less energy, thanks to not going through the process of production that synthetics undergo. But that doesn't mean they don't cause pollution. The University of Cambridge's Institute for Manufacturing says a pure cotton T-shirt weighing 250 grams is responsible for producing 7,000 grams of carbon dioxide during its lifetime, nearly 28 times its own weight.