A report on the global climate impacts of the Finnish textile and fashion industry explains where the industry’s emissions originate and how they could be reduced. The report was the first of its kind in Finland. The most efficient ways to reduce emissions include doubling the useful life of products, replacing fossil energy with renewable energy sources, and developing and adopting new ecological textile fibres. 

According to the report, the emissions from the Finnish textile and fashion industry total approximately 1,689,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). This corresponds to about 305 kilograms of CO2e per Finn, which is about three percent of the average Finn’s carbon footprint. 

The report on the global climate impacts of the Finnish textile and fashion industry reveals that over 95 percent of the emissions of the Finnish textile and fashion industry arise from sources other than the companies’ own operations in Finland. Nearly 90 percent of the total emissions come from the production of textile fibres and materials. The second most significant source of emissions was the washing of textiles during the use phase. 

The report also identified effective ways to reduce emissions. Notably, the development and adoption of recycled fibres and new ecological textile fibres, as well as doubling the useful life of products, were highlighted. Doubling the useful life could achieve an emission reduction of approximately 46 percent. Furthermore, significant emission reductions could be achieved by using energy produced from renewable sources instead of fossil energy at various stages of the lifecycle. 

“By favouring suppliers in the supply chain who use green energy and other low-carbon solutions, a company can significantly impact its own carbon footprint. There are also interesting opportunities related to new fibre innovations which can replace traditional textile fibres. This helps to increase the positive carbon footprint of Finland’s textile and fashion industry.” says the founder and CEO of OpenCO2net, Sari Siitonen. 

OpenCO2net conducted the report on the global climate impacts of the Finnish textile and Fashion industry in collaboration with Finnish Textile & Fashion and on their commission. Energy Ltd., a partner of OpenCO2net, also participated in the implementation of the work. Read Finnish Textile & Fashion’s press release here.