Carbon Footprints of a Garment Manufacturing Unit

By: Harshita Chaudhary

Post Graduate student, M.Sc. (Fabric and Apparel Science) Supervisors: Dr. Simmi Bhagat**, Prof. M.L. Gulrajani*** ** Associate Professor, Deptt of Fabric and Apparel Science, Lady Irwin College, Delhi ***Professor, Deptt of Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi 1.1 ABSTRACT Climate change is increasingly recognized as a major challenge. It is widely accepted that the greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans are having a negative impact on the environment. The most important greenhouse gas, arising from human activity is carbon dioxide (CO2). A way to track ones greenhouse gas emissions is to be aware of your carbon footprint. Carbon footprint is the total amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases emitted over the full life cycle of a process or product. Carbon footprints are typically calculated to include all green house gases and are expressed as CO2 equivalent measured in kilograms or tonnes. Environmental impacts occur at every stage of the life cycle of garment. The garment industry has contributed to the global warming from the stage of growing of the fibers, raw material acquisition, to the manufacturing of the product, its distribution and transportation to stores and customers, then its use by the consumers and finally the disposal of the product after use. Thus one of the important aspect of the life cycle of the product that is garment manufacturing is being considered in this study. In the present study, the assessment of carbon footprints of a selected garment manufacturing unit was carried out by identifying the personnel and processes and calculating the carbon footprints generated by them. The personnel of the selected unit were also made aware of the factors contributing to carbon footprints during product manufacture and methods were recommended to reduce them. 1.2 SAMPLE SELECTION An ISO certified, government recognized export house, manufacturing knitted garments located in Faridabad was selected for the study and is one of the members of Okhla Garment and Textile Cluster (OGTC). 1.3 TOOLS FOR DATA COLLECTION This study is an initiative taken in the area of textile industry. Thus an exhaustive review of literature was carried out for the understanding of the subject as a first step. Sample size of 10 people from different departments of the unit was selected by purposive sampling technique and the data was collected through the interview schedule and observation technique. GTZ consultancy firms experts were also approached to gather more information regarding carbon footprint. 1.4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 1.4.1 Processes and their contribution to carbon footprints in a garment manufacturing unit Administrative department includes accounts, documentation and personnel departments. Their work involved use of computers and stationery Design and line development department included designing, merchandising and sampling sections, were responsible for working with the textile and trims, sourcing, scheduling production, controlling product flow and presentation of line and making of prototypes. It consumed electricity in running of machines like electric cutters, sewing machines and generated garbage like fabric scarps, pattern papers etc.

Production department undertook spreading, cutting and sewing responsibility. Power operated machines like cutters, sewing machines, fusing machines and steam iron sets were used for the purpose. Fabric samples were sent outside to reputed labs for testing .This department generated large amount of waste in form of cardboard boxes, labels, tapes, thread cones, fusing rolls, fabric scraps and stickers. However, most of the fabric waste and polythene bags are reused.

Maximum contribution to carbon footprints is at the finishing level as a garment goes through many operations like washing, pressing, stain removal, inspection, folding and packaging. All these operations involve use of machinery like perk machine, washing machine, hydro, spinning machine, steam iron sets, stain guns etc. Boilers which are used to generate steam, used in pressing, consume large amounts of diesel fuel. Water consumption also adds to carbon footprints along with chemicals like Tide detergent, liquid soap, acetone, amyl, rangkat etc which are used for washing and stain removal. Garbage that is generated in form of packaging material also contributes to carbon footprints. Miscellaneous sections include computerized embroidery section, effluent treatment plant, kitchen, canteen, mess, general maintenance and house keeping It was observed that two sources of carbon footprint are common in all the departments. First being the transport which was used by the personnel working in the unit for traveling and second being the electricity which was consumed by all the departments. Components in the generation of carbon footprint

1.4.2

Fuel in form of diesel, mobil oil and LPG was consumed by various machines like boilers for steam generation, compressors, generators and at areas like kitchen, mess etc. Petrol and diesel used in modes of transport for the daily travel by employees, air travel by senior management staff and transportation of goods from supplier and to the buyers also contributed to GHG emissions The maximum contribution to carbon footprints by electricity was at the finishing level followed by production department, as most of the machines were power based. Table 1.1: Electricity consumption by the machinery
S.No 1. 2. 3. Name of machine Hand cutter Band knife Fusing machine Numbers 8 1 4 Wattage 745 W 745 W 500 W Department Production Production Production

4.

Computerized embroidery machine

1.5 KW

Production

5. 5.(a) 5.(b) 5.(c) 5.(d) 5.(e) 5.(f) 5.(g) 5.(h) 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Sewing machine Overlock machine Flat machine Double needle Thread cutter Single needle Button hole machine Button stitch machine Bartack machine Perk machine Steam iron sets Tumbler Hydro Washing machine Sample machine

421 60 50 8 12 290 10 7 2 2 26 2 2 2

450 W 450 W 450 W 450 W 450 W 450 W 450W 450 W 450 W 1500 W 1500 W 7.5 HP 15 HP 10 HP 1 KW

Production Production Production Production Production Production Production Production Production Finishing Finishing Finishing Finishing Finishing Finishing

washing 1

12.

Metal detector

1 KW

Finishing

Garbage included stationery items like printed papers, sheets, fabric scraps, trims, fusing rolls and paper, damaged labels, tags, polythene bags, tickets, bar coded sticker, tapes, cardboard boxes, empty thread cones (about 300 kg/month) which if not recycled or reused contributed to carbon footprints.

Table 1.2: Type of waste generated by the unit

S.No. Type of garbage 1. 2. 3. 4. Papers Empty fusing cones Damaged labels Broken buttons Biodegradable/ non-biodegradable Biodegradable Biodegradable Non-biodegradable Non-biodegradable/ biodegradable (natural buttons) 5. 6. Tissue papers Polythene bags and sheets 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Stickers/ tickets Tapes Cardboard boxes Empty thread cones Pattern papers Fabric scraps Biodegradable Non-biodegradable Biodegradable Biodegradable Biodegradable Biodegradable Production , packaging Production , packaging Production, packaging Production Production Production Biodegradable Non-biodegradable Production Production, packaging Department Administrative Production Production Production

Total sludge produced was 50 kg/year and stored in underground cement pits or tanks as was not hazardous Chemicals play a vital role in stain removal, washing and finishing of the garments and lead to water pollution.

Table 1.3: Type of chemicals used by the unit

S.No. Department 1. Spot cleaning Types of agents Solvent Acetone Ezee Rangkat Amyl 2. Washing Tide detergent Liquid soap Acetone Amyl Rangkat 3. Production White oil Usage Stain removal Ink spots removal Soap Rust marks removal Black stains removal Washing Washing Washing Washing Washing Machine maintenance

1.4.3 o o o o o

Calculation of carbon footprints

The data collected for the consumption of fuel used in transport and machinery, chemicals, water and electricity was considered. The consumption of electricity included components of chemical and water for the purpose of calculation. Carbon footprint of the unit was calculated on the basis of the data collected for the consumption of electricity and fuel. Waste was not considered as it was not segregated. Waste water generated was treated by ETP. The data was converted into the amount of carbon dioxide and other GHGs generated by using equivalent values of carbon dioxide generated by various resources. The calculations of the components of Carbon Footprints were : Natural gas - 2, 81,820 kg of CO2 eq per year Diesel - 4, 45,000 Kg of CO2 eq per year Petrol - 1, 75,915 Kg of CO2 eq per year Mobil oil - 3,000 Kg of CO2 eq per year LPG - 295.36 Kg of CO2 eq per year A sum total of the above values was taken and was divided by the production per year to arrive at a value of carbon footprint generated per garment. The carbon footprint generated per garment by the selected GMU was found to be ranging between 1.0 kg-1.5kg of CO2 eq. It was evident from the data that the fuel used in machinery in form of diesel, mobil oil, LPG was the major contributor. It was followed by consumption of natural gas for electricity generation purposes and then fuel consumption by transport. 5

1.4.4 Ways to reduce carbon footprint 1.4.4.1 Recommendations specific to GMU Design and line development department: Referring to forecasts, from agencies that are at local and thus subscription to forecast can be obtained at lesser costs. Sourcing of designs of fabrics and apparel should begin from an online search and through use of video conferencing. Now a days teleconferencing, web conferencing and video conferencing are practiced by many companies making branded apparel to communicate with designers and fabric samplers. In conjugation with product information management systems, video conferencing allows apparel companies to review new styles and the status of the market at various levels. Some of the more sophisticated systems have cameras that automatically track speakers voice with high quality video. Various elements that are used in design i.e. colour, texture, fasteners, fabrics etc; the components of these should be maintained as a ready data bank. Appointing representatives in various countries to supervise and sort out problems will also lead to reduction in contribution to carbon footprints Production: GMU should be encouraged to use local raw materials instead of using freight to bring in materials. Coordination between design and production department will lead to fabric sourcing and procurement in a more controlled manner, thus leading to lowering of wastage levels. Biodegradable trims should be preferred against synthetic trims. For example, natural buttons made up of pearl, wood, shell, leather, porcelain and bone. Plastic and metal buttons, rivets and snaps of brass, stainless steel, if possible, should be avoided. Preference for natural fibres that are biodegradable and thus eco friendly should be practiced. Avoid use of fusible interfacings which incorporate solvent treated adhesives as solvents like formaldehyde have been classified as unsafe for the environment as per the standard given by OekoTex 100. Use of metals such as chrome, cadmium, lead, nickel and other heavy metal residues, for the making of fasteners like zippers and buttons, are considered unfriendly to the environment, since these metals release residues that are suspected to be harmful to the human skin. Transfer printing on t-shirts which is commonly practiced to obtain photographic replication of designs is done by using the sublistatic technique which requires the ink formulation to be transferred to the substrate in vapour form. For such a technique, solvent based dye formulations are used which may not be safe for the environment. Use of large baler bags for storage or supplies especially at fabric store where the fabric is stored in individual polythene bags. Spreading of the fabric layers on the cutting table has to be achieved with uniformity within the layers. Use of appropriate marker with respect to different types of fabrics such as variable widths, unidirectional prints etc will help in achieving economical utilization of material. Slight modifications while developing a marker like, slight reductions in seam allowances, dove tailing, as per fabric direction and grainline, slight tilting of the patterns can result in increase in marker efficiency and thus reduction in fabric wastage CAD and CAM systems can be used to gain optimum fabric utilization. Following efficient stitching methods in terms of correct needle size, stitch length, machine type and threads will further lead to reduction in wastage. Installation of LEDs (9W) at the needle points of sewing machines will help to reduce the overall requirement of tubelights in the stitching section. Use of motorized sewing machines with Energy star mark will ensure lower consumption of electricity. Regular maintenance, lubrication and upkeep of the machine, using white oil, mobil oil will result in improvement of the efficiency of the machine being used in production. Recycling of small pieces of waste fabrics into shoddy items and/or wipe clothes in the unit. These type of fabric pieces can also be utilized for developing new products such as quilts, in appliqus, braids and other details on garments. A lot of cellulosic waste fabric is being recycled for making hand made paper. Cotton knitwear waste has also been utilized for producing low cost sanitary napkins Finishing: Energy star mark washing machines with front loading will lead to lower consumption of electricity. Using the clothes dryer for half drying clothes, to be completely dried on clothes line in the open or in the shade, will make the process more energy efficient. Eco friendly detergents having low aquatic toxicity are phosphate free or with a phosphate content of less than 5% should be used. Such detergents are considered to biodegrade without producing metabolites toxic to aquatic life. Use of detergents at appropriate concentration (0.5-1%) at 60C will provide optimal usage of detergents for good quality washing. Water from washing department can be reused for housekeeping and gardening. Use of eco friendly lubricants and stain removers which are free from chlorinated solvents. Grouping of several garments in large baler bags while packaging, will lead to minimization in waste. Prefer using eco friendly hang tags that can be hung to the garment by thread rather than using plastic staple or string. Apparel can be packaged in biodegradable PVC-free packaging, and in 100% recycled cardboard boxes

1.4.4.2 Suggestions for general resource usage Prefer using public transport like bus or car rather than using private transport. Carpooling system can be set up for work. Keeping tyres properly inflated increases the efficiency of fuel Turning off the vehicles engine at red light saves 20% of the fuel Avoid large number of flights as air transportation has a largest carbon footprint than any other means. Prefer making conference calls. Transporting by air emits 200 times more carbon dioxide than by ship thus a strict No air freight policy can be followed Energy Star products help in saving 30% on ones energy bills. Thus switching to energy efficient appliances like of Energy Star can also be considered. Dimmer switches which reduce energy consumption by up to 20% can be installed. Motion sensor lights can provide energy savings by switching lights off automatically when not detecting movement. Choosing solar lights for pathway lighting, and changing the sockets of exterior entrance way lights to solar-powered ones can also be considered Turn off appliances from main switch instead of using standby. Appliances on standby can still consume up to 10 % of the electricity than they draw when they are in use. Turn off the computer monitor. Do not use screensavers as energy savers as they continue to use the monitor at full power and do not conserve energy. Manually turning monitors off is always the better energy saving strategy. Turning the power off overnight will use less power than leaving it on overnight Solar panels can be used as an alternate source of energy. Solar energy can be used for water heating instead of fossil fuel in boilers Make the most use of natural light, which is free and environment-friendly, by keeping the windows clear Green roofs can be supported at office blocks with vegetation on the roof top which helps to absorb the solar heat and does not let it go inside the building Recycle as much as possible like aluminum, glass, plastic, paper and cardboard. e-statements and e-bills can be preferred to minimize paper wastage and consumption Prefer dual side printing option .This will help in saving 50% of the paper. Biological sludge is used to produce bio gas which can be used for cooking in the canteen kitchen Choose products that come with little packaging. Water flow can be regulated to minimize wastage of water Rainwater harvesting can be adopted. This method will help capture rain water that can be later used for gardening and cleaning purposes

1.5 CONCLUSION In the present times when global warming is the issue of concern world wide, it is the responsibility and duty of every planet conscious human being to try their level best to reduce their contribution to carbon footprints. Besides reducing waste and consequent reductions in air and land pollution, it will lead to number of individualized benefits. It will allow garment manufacturing businesses to demonstrate their commitment to reducing their negative impact on the climate and the planet. It will bring behavioral change in buyers leading to change in choices by moving towards carbon neutral suppliers. Many business leaders know that taking a stand on climate change will produce benefits in the form of customer loyalty, and may help capture new markets. It will also help in transforming the currently energy intensive manufacturing industry to cleaner and less carbon intensive technology. Above all, it will facilitate to interpret space, light and other requirements of employees thus leading to improvement in their working conditions and health by providing better options with reduction in carbon footprint.