Carbon footprint and energy use in jute and allied fibre production

Abstract

The study examines carbon and energy footprints of jute, kenaf, sunnhemp and flax fibre production systems. Energy productivity was lowest in flax fibre production as compared to other fibre crops. Flax fibre production consumed more chemical fertilizer, diesels, pesticides and seed energy in comparison to other fibre crops. The carbon footprints of the all fibres crops did not differ significantly and were in the order of 566, 520, 445 and 423 kg CO2-eq/tonne of fibre for jute, flax, kenaf and sunnhemp, respectively. The carbon based sustainability index for jute (2.27) and kenaf (2.07) were highest due to better carbon use efficiency. Sustainability index of flax was negative (-0.67) due to higher carbon emission. Fertilization and fibre processing contributed most to GHG emissions. Overall, the carbon footprint of bast fibres was 20–50% lower than that of synthetic/artificial fibres.