What is behind the producer GHG emissions footprint of textile and clothing in the EU-27? An environmentally extended multi-regional input-output analysis

The textile and clothing industry is globally recognized as the fourth highest contributor to environmental pressure, requiring substantial volumes of raw materials and resources from various sectors. Moreover, it contributes approximately 4 % of global greenhouse gas emissions annually. The final producers in this industry bear a portion of the responsibility and have the ability to directly address and mitigate the sustainability issues and environmental impacts that occur throughout their supply chains. Against this background, the article aims to analyse the greenhouse gas emissions footprint of the European Union-27's final textile and clothing producers from 1995 to 2022. The methodology applied combines an Environmentally Extended Multi-Regional Input-Output analysis with a producer footprint analysis, utilizing the Exiobase database. These methods enable the tracking of emissions both directly and indirectly generated throughout the production chain of final goods, and the allocation of these emissions to the country of residence of the final producer. The results indicate that the emissions footprint of producers in the European Union-27's textile and clothing industry decreased by approximately 50 % during the period. However, while the domestic producer footprint saw a reduction of 61 %, the imported emissions decreased by only 27 %. This discrepancy highlights various inefficiencies, demonstrating that importing has a greater emissions impact than domestic production. Additionally, a decoupling analysis is conducted to examine the degree of disassociation between greenhouse gas emissions and the intermediate inputs used throughout the European Union-27's textile and clothing supply chain. In this respect, some supplier partners have positively contributed to decarbonization, underscoring the need for strategic trade relations.