Abstract
Greenhouse gases are a major contributor to climate change. The textile industry, with significant emissions, contributes almost one tonne to every 19.8 tonnes of carbon emissions in the atmosphere (comprising almost 5% of the total emissions). Mission LiFE, launched by the Government, seeks to encourage thoughtful consumption and an environmentally conscious lifestyle. With clothing being an essential part of the lifestyle, making the right choice based on carbon emissions is critical. We adopted the double diamond design process by exploring different possibilities to address this problem and narrowed them down to an intervention. Journal papers and newspaper articles were sourced for the literature review. Data on the carbon emissions of various fabrics such as cotton, polyester, silk, rayon, linen, and fabric blends were collected. Emissions from harvesting and apparel production processes were included in the data. Following a stakeholder mapping exercise, we decided that the best way to communicate this data with the target audience is through an application. The Carbon Meter app was created to estimate the carbon emissions of a person’s clothing. To drive home the point to the user, the emissions are compared with the carbon emissions of petrol cars. For instance, a person wearing a cotton shirt and pant carries 7.43 kg of CO2e emissions, whereas a person wearing linen has 4.25 kg of CO2e emissions. This is equivalent to driving a petrol car for 76.53 km and 43.78 km, respectively. This app was pilot-tested at an event in Bengaluru.
Presenters
Bhawna WelturkarManager - Communications Design, Communication and Policy Engagement, Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy, Karnataka, India
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
2025 Special Focus—Thinking, Learning, Doing: Plural Ways of Design
KEYWORDS
Sustainable Living, Emissions, Awareness, Clothing, Application, Sensitisation, Textile Emissions
