Make a difference, for good

HOW IT WORKS

Each item of clothing you buy has a carbon cost, starting with the carbon cost of the fibres. Lifecycle assessments measure the carbon emission cost (CO2-e) of a garment over its lifetime, from cradle (resourcing of materials) to distribution, to use (including laundry), to grave (the end of a garment's life). Alice Payne's illustration above sets out the lifecycle assessment process.

Watch this YouTube TEDEd video by Angel Chang to learn about how the life cycle of a t-shirt is assessed.

Many assessments have been published about the carbon cost of different garments. Here are some examples:

a dress has been found to have an average lifetime carbon cost of 14.8kg CO2-e - see source assessment
a jacket has been found to have an average lifetime carbon cost of 13.3kg CO2-e - see source assessment
a suit or ensemble has been found to have an average lifetime carbon cost of 16.8kg CO2-e - see source assessment
a pair of Levis 501 jeans has been found to have an average lifetime carbon cost of 33.4kg CO2-e - see source assessment
a cotton t-shirt made in Bangladesh, worn and disposed of in France has been found to have a total lifetime carbon cost of 7.05kg CO2-e - see source assessment
a long-sleeve white cotton shirt (weight of 0.2 kg) produced in Bangladesh using cotton from the US and finally consumed in Germany was reportedly found to emit 10.75kg CO2-e - see source
a polyester t-shirt imported from China to Australia has been found to have an average lifetime carbon cost of 20.56 CO2-e - see source assessment
a lightweight woollen sweater (pullover), worn 109 times, was found to have a carbon emissions cost of 0.17 (± 0.02) kg CO2-e per wear which equates to a lifetime carbon cost of 18.53 kg CO2-e – see source assessment.

When you buy an Offset Certificate or our hangers, you are effectively buying carbon offsets. A single Offset Certificate carries offsets of 30kg - that's more than enough to offset the lifetime carbon cost of a standard garment. A pack of five hangers carries offsets for 150kg carbon emissions - that's more than enough to offset the carbon cost of five average garments.

We retire 3000kg of carbon credits for every 100 hangers / offset certificates sold - that's three units or three metric tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂-e). Our Australian units (ACCUs) are held and retired with the Australian National Registry of Emissions Units (ANREU). Our Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) are held and retired with Verra Registry. Look up your Certificate ID and see which of our offset projects are the source of your clothing carbon credits.

In addition to offsetting carbon emissions, our Offset Certificates bring multiple co-benefits by supporting these projects -

Australia - Flanders QLD

The Flanders Carbon Project is re-establishing native forest in the south west darling downs region of Queensland, which have been suppressed by agricultural uses such as grazing and by feral species. The project generates Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). In addition to generating carbon offsets, the project has the co-benefits of regeneration of native eco-systems and improvement in water quality in rivers and lakes.

Borneo Indonesia - Rimba Raya

The Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve Project avoids planned deforestation of tropical rainforest in Borneo, Indonesia. The project creates a buffer zone along the eastern border of the adjacent world‐renowned Tanjung Puting National Park. The project generates Verified Carbon Units (VCUs). In addition to avoiding carbon emissions, the co-benefits of the project include:

– preserves the forest habitat supporting over 50 endangered species including the Borneo orangutan from disappearing

– maintains biodiversity which includes 361 bird, 122 mammal and 180 tree and woody plant species, many of which are highly threatened or endangered

– prevents the 14 local forest communities’ land being appropriated by palm oil companies, and

– provides local community development, local employment and provincial government infrastructure and support.

Brazil - Pacajai

The Pacajai REDD+ Project avoids and prevents unplanned deforestation in the state of Para, Brazil, avoiding emissions of over 9.5 million tCO2e across 40 years. The land is managed in the form of a “private reserve” by monitoring and operating a pre-designed plan which is adapted over time. The project generates Verified Carbon Units (VCUs). In addition to avoiding carbon emissions, the project has the following co-benefits:

– provides the first stage of land tenure processes to over 200 different households in the region

– provides a one on one course for agroforestry systems and on implementation of energy efficient cook stoves for cooking and cassava production to nearby villagers;

– protects endangered primates, the endangered Giant Otter, the Giant Anteater, Giant Armadillo, the Oncilla and many other the bird, amphibian and fish species.

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We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and custodians of the lands on which we do our work, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.