Lower carbon footprint from Nordic Swan Ecolabel sports t-shirts
Nordic Ecolabelling’s criteria for clothing, textiles and leather can save greenhouse gas emissions by requiring recycled content of synthetic textiles in sports t-shirts made of polyester. By choosing a Nordic Swan Ecolabel sports t-shirt, you can save 15% CO2.
An analysis from Viegand Maagøe shows that you can save 15% CO2 by choosing a Nordic Swan Ecolabel sports t-shirt instead of a comparable average non-ecolabelled t-shirt. This equates to a saving of 210 g of CO2 per shirt.
The difference is due to the fact that the Nordic Swan Ecolabel requires 100% recycled material (with the possibility of up to 10% virgin elastane) in a polyester t-shirt, unless it is made from bio-based material. In comparison, a similar average t-shirt contains only 14% recycled polyester and 86% virgin polyester.
The CO2 reduction is probably even greater: The result of the study is calculated solely on the basis of the requirement for the proportion of recycled material in a polyester sports t-shirt. But the Nordic Swan Ecolabel also has other requirements that affect the total environmental and climate impact – and which are likely to result in an even greater CO2 reduction than the analysis shows.
This applies, for example, to requirements for energy-efficient production. In the same way, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel's quality requirements can reduce CO2 emissions during the use phase, as they allow the t-shirt to potentially be used multiple times, just as strict chemical requirements can make it more attractive to recycle textiles. These requirements are not included in the calculation as the impact in relation to the market average is difficult to quantify or data on.