Seek Collective: An Exploration of Carbon Emissions

While working to complete my certificate of the Advanced Program in Sustainable Management from UC Berkeley, I explored carbon emissions. They way carbon emissions are set up for industries falls into scope 1, scope 2, and scope 3. Scope 1 emissions encompass Green House Gases emitted from only sources owned by the company/organization/institution. Scope 2 related to the GHGs that come from the consumption of purchased energy through third party suppliers, such as a utility company. Within the apparel industry about 96% of emissions stem from scope 3 on average. This is third scope covers the products, materials, etc. 

I find this break down of the scopes to allow industries the world over to focus on their scope 1 and 2 without taking into account the bulk of carbon emissions coming from their actual products being sold. I decided to break down carbon emissions in a different way when looking at Seek Collective. Below you can see how I did this, which include the actual product and materials in scope 1, transportation, packaging, and office spaces in scope 2, and the care of the product as well as end of life for the products in scope 3. This feels more logical to me when addressing and speaking to the carbon emissions of a brand selling products.

Taking accountability for the footprint we are leaving on this planet is important. For better or worse there are a lot of different ways this is being measured and reported currently. What feels key is to keep looking closer, keep asking questions, and keep pushing for more accountability and transparency. Below is just the beginning of doing that for me and Seek Collective. 

resources:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969724016498 

https://earth.org/statistics-about-fast-fashion-waste/ 

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20201208STO93327/the-impact-of-textile-production-and-waste-on-the-environment-infographics 

https://www.uniformmarket.com/statistics/global-apparel-industry-statistics#:~:text=How%20many%20people%20work%20in,and%20logistics%20work%20among%20others. 

https://www.carbonfact.com/blog/knowledge/carbon-accounting-guide#:~:text=Scope%203%20emissions%20result%20from,the%20total%20corporate%20carbon%20footprint 

https://www.carbonfact.com/carbon-footprint/shirt 

https://www.carbonfact.com/carbon-footprint/dress 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sustainability-impact-handloom-textile-industry-djqnf/ 

https://earth.org/statistics-about-fast-fashion-waste/ 

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/new-york-exposing-fashion-industry-what-it-climate-nightmare 

https://consciousfashion.co/guides/clothing-repair-mending 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/amynguyen/2021/06/07/carbon-labels-digital-passports-and-traceability-tags--clothing-labels-new-normal/

https://co2.myclimate.org/en/calculate_emissions?etcc_med=SEA&etcc_par=Google&etcc_cmp=PMAX_EN_USA&etcc_grp=&etcc_bky=&etcc_mty=&etcc_plc=&etcc_ctv=&etcc_bde=c&etcc_var=CjwKCAjwyb3DBhBlEiwAqZLe5CmC_8TrJsNfV-tY0XR039FJlOkDf6FJ1KQt3IXvVr7uFXSxzzYTthoCQKMQAvD_BwE&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22680296118&gbraid=0AAAAADs8lQu1Vp9I0ooBRey_BH8O2P0LU&gclid=CjwKCAjwyb3DBhBlEiwAqZLe5CmC_8TrJsNfV-tY0XR039FJlOkDf6FJ1KQt3IXvVr7uFXSxzzYTthoCQKMQAvD_BwE

https://www.co2everything.com/co2e-of/silk

https://geopelie.com/en/blogs/blog/the-environmental-impact-of-the-different-textile-fibers?srsltid=AfmBOopWlhr_qSzqdFz1gKSY289Jzo3YC9nXTDJHlTqQuuH8UTnlvItG

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213846324002827

https://www.climatiq.io/data/emission-factor/55755e58-5de1-4991-8605-dbc33f1e397f

https://www.carbonfact.com/blog/research/the-environmental-impact-of-screen-printing-digital-printing-and-fabric-dyeing

https://apps.carboncloud.com/climatehub/product-reports/id/137206428527#:~:text=Kraft%20paper%20packaging%2C%20direct%20solid,CO%E2%82%82e%2Fkg%20%7C%20Verified%20by%20CarbonCloud

https://www.cepi-eurokraft.org/?p=4724#:~:text=2018%20to%202021:%20The%20reduction,to%20421%20kg%20CO2

https://endplasticsoup.org/1-kg-of-plastic-equals-3-kg-co2-equivalents/#:~:text=On%20average%201%20kg%20of,or%203%20when%20including%20incineration.

https://consumerecology.com/carbon-footprint-of-a-cardboard-box/

https://www.groupo.com/blog/the-carbon-footprint-of-plastic-packaging

https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/10/1/51

https://www.sinrylion.com/news-show-1034831.html#:~:text=The%20upstream%20of%20polyester%20production,production%20links%20to%20reduce%20emissions.

https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/1-kg-cone-thread-cotton-26472674355.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqHdvQW-y85LTOo9sPHgDh2aUXWV5EIIKlZmt9F7IhGj4-OxS_3

https://geopelie.com/en/blogs/blog/the-environmental-impact-of-the-different-textile-fibers?srsltid=AfmBOoo7QSWwqNi3u_qNS2RPNFURoTBojCqKsEVP8U0XhRRiEDMK1pJB

https://circularecology.com/news/the-carbon-emissions-of-homeworking-and-office-working

https://www.projectcece.com/blog/704/is-dry-cleaning-bad-for-the-environment/#:~:text=Carbon%20emissions%20%E2%80%93%20According%20to%20GreenMatch,news%20for%20the%20climate%2C%20too

https://southseattleemerald.org/community/2021/08/28/the-south-end-guide-to-reducing-our-carbon-footprint-laundry-day

https://theecoguide.org/hand-wash-clothes-effortlessly-all-while-saving-earth

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20201208STO93327/the-impact-of-textile-production-and-waste-on-the-environment-infographics

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sustainability-impact-handloom-textile-industry-djqnf/