Electricity, wood usage, chemical inputs top sources of carbon footprint in India’s handlooms

Electricity consumption, wood usage, chemicals inputs are the top sources of carbon footprint in India’s handloom sector, an official report released Wednesday showed.

Prepared by the ministry and Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, the report showed that improving energy efficiency, transitioning to renewable electricity sources and substituting chemical use in dyeing and finishing can help cut emissions and help increase exports of sustainable handloom products from India in the future.

The report titled ‘Carbon Footprint Assessment in the Indian Handloom Sector’ maps the carbon footprint of 11 products including Banarasi Saree, Cotton Bedsheet, Floor Mat and Kullu Shawl.


"Real progress in sustainability requires measuring the carbon impact at every stage of textile production. Out of the 17 parameters set by the United Nations for its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by working on this alone, we are making efforts in the direction of achieving 10 out of the 17 SDG goals,” said textiles minister Giriraj Singh.

The report is part of an initiative aimed at promoting carbon trading in the sector to cut emissions, earn revenue, and help handloom artisans benefit financially from green practices in the future.

As per the report, the carbon footprint analysis for Banarasi silk saree manufacturing reveals that electricity consumption is overwhelmingly the primary contributor, accounting for 85% of total emissions, followed by chemicals including dyes and finishing agents, making up the next largest share at 8.5%.

In case of natural Tussar silk dress material, electricity consumption is the dominant source of emissions followed by soap while for the Kullu shawls, the top sources are electricity consumption and chemical
inputs as the primary sources of emissions, followed by yarn waste.

Balramapuram Saree, Tangail Saree, Ikat Saree, Silk Dyeing Process, Ashawali Saree, Tasar Silk and Dharmavaram Saree are the other products mapped in the report.

“Now the idea is basically to make it sellable at some point of time that the carbon trading can be done, as far as this is concerned. Apart from the carbon trading part of it, a more sustainable product would find better markets, higher costs, and thus empower the handloom industry workers,” said textiles secretary Neelam Shami Rao.