Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Clothing Consumption: Analyzing the Apparel Industry’s Current and Future Impact on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

---

Abstract

The central aim of the Paris Agreement is to keep global temperatures below 2^oC from pre-industrial levels. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) this will require a reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions of 41-72% from 2010 levels by 2050. This research presents a comprehensive, dynamic model that allows for quantifying and evaluating the apparel industry's Green House Gas (GHG) emissions against 2030 and 2050 climate mitigation targets under different scenarios of production, consumption, and post-consumption. The model is built using population, economic, demographic, consumer, transportation, and industry-specific data from dozens of publicly available resources. Users of the model will be able to ascertain answers to a variety of questions associated with the apparel industry's impact on GHG emissions at a global level and in both developed and developing countries. 

Keywords: Apparel Insutry, Economic Growth, Climate mitigation, Green House Gas

How to Cite:

Jacobs, M. & Hawley, J. M., (2020) “Clothing Consumption: Analyzing the Apparel Industry’s Current and Future Impact on Greenhouse Gas Emissions”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 77(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.12055