Discussion on key issues of carbon footprint quantification of silk products

Abstract

In this study, to accurately calculate the carbon footprint of silk products, key issues were analysed and discussed, including accounting boundary, accounting data, sequestration of greenhouse gases (GHG) and calculation of results. The results support the feasibility of "cradle to gate" or "gate to gate" as the accounting boundary for the carbon footprint of silk products. Accordingly, the quality of accounting data may be improved by determining the key emission sources of GHG within the accounting boundary, selecting the appropriate data allocation methods and maintaining the consistency of the allocation methods within the accounting boundary when necessary. The GHG sequestration of silk is explained separately in the results, which report on the carbon footprint of silk products. The carbon-neutral actions taken by silk enterprises are also discussed and quantified in the results of the carbon footprint calculation. Ultimately, it is found that a consistent accounting boundary and emission factors constitute two key prerequisites for the feasibility of carbon footprint quantification of various silk products.