Carbon footprint calculation and evaluation of mulberry silk quilts

At present, there is growing concern with climate change and environmental impacts arising from textiles. The carbon footprint measures the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated directly and indirectly by human activities. Among silk home textiles, mulberry silk quilts occupy a significant proportion, but there has been no carbon footprint accounting for silk quilt products. In order to identify the key emission processes during the production of mulberry silk quilts and further explore the improvement opportunities, this study calculated and evaluated the carbon footprints of mulberry silk quilts with nine specifications. The results showed that the carbon footprint result was influenced by product weight and size. The larger the size and weight of the product, the larger the carbon footprint result would be. By examining the carbon footprint of a representative piece of mulberry silk quilt (1 kg, 180 cm × 220 cm) throughout the production process, the study found that the carbon footprint result was concentrated in the white silk yarn production stage, exceeding 44.87%. Further, steam was the largest emission source of the carbon footprint, at over 39.56%. In addition, this study compared and analyzed the differences between fresh and dry cocoon reeling technologies. In terms of carbon footprint, the dry cocoon reeling technology produces a larger carbon footprint than the fresh cocoon reeling technology for the same weight of white silk. The findings in this study provide valuable insights into the greenhouse effect impact of mulberry silk quilt production and contribute to sustainable manufacturing practices in the silk industry.