Polyester (clothing fabric production)

The emission factor of a product indicates either the emissions of the life cycle (cradle-to-grave) or the emissions during manufacture (cradle-to-gate) of the product. The choice of the correct emission factor depends on the calculation that is being made. For example, the cradle-to-gate emission factor of a product is used in an industrial company's scope 3 calculations when calculating emissions from the purchase of raw materials. Also, the carbon footprint of a product often only includes the life cycle stages from cradle-to-gate. This is referred to as a partial carbon footprint.