A cotton shirt: carbon footprint

A cotton shirt comes in at about 12 kg CO₂e (one shirt, made).

Of the 13 things to wear Carbonle tracks, A cotton shirt sits at #5 from the lightest — mid-pack.

This is what it costs to make the garment, before you wear it once. Cotton is thirsty, leather carries the cattle behind it, and a single new outfit can outweigh a week of driving — the case for wearing things longer.

A woven cotton shirt is heavier to make than a plain tee. The fibre is most of it.

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Compare with

Figures from Carbonfact garment benchmark (2024), cradle-to-gate, licensed industry benchmark.
How we get these numbers: Methodology.