Review of Carbon Emission and Carbon Neutrality in the Life Cycle of Silk Products

Abstract Silk is a distinctive and significant category of natural structural protein fiber. With a remarkable structure and versatility, silk has emerged as a topic of scientific study perennially because of its chemical, physical and biological properties. Meanwhile, in order to have an omnifaceted understanding of silk, the environmental performance of silk production is also worthy of attention. With the concern of global warming, efforts are increasingly focused on understanding and addressing carbon emission in the life cycle of silk products. However, the majority of current studies give priority to the carbon emission of either just one or a few stages of silk products’ life cycle, or to a specific type of silk product. On the basis of a review of literature on the life cycle assessment of silk products, this study presents a full-scale review of the quantification of the carbon emission and carbon neutrality of cocoon acquisition, industrial production of silk products, distribution, consumption, and recycling. The analysis revealed that the carbon sequestration by photosynthesis at the stage of cocoon acquisition could not be ignored. It is of importance to establish complete and unified system boundaries when quantifying carbon emissions in the industrial production of silk products. Reasonable models of washing times and washing modes are needed to assess carbon emissions in the domestic laundry of silk products. At the end of life phase of silk products, the positive impact on carbon emission in the phase of silk recycling is noteworthy. This study will help interested scholars, manufacturers and consumers to gain an in-depth understanding of the carbon emissions and carbon neutrality of silk products, and it is also of great value for exploring new production processes for reducing carbon emissions of silk products.