The Environmental Impact of Low-Pressure Anhydrous Dyeing Technology for Polyester: Carbon Footprint Quantification and Evaluation

Many emerging dyeing technologies have recently entered laboratory research or industrial production phases. However, only a few studies have evaluated and compared the environmental impact of different dyeing systems. This study calculated the carbon footprint of low-pressure anhydrous dyeing for polyester and compared with conventional water bath dyeing. The results showed that the carbon footprint of the anhydrous dyeing process was 1670 kgCO 2 eq/1000 kg polyester. Steam occupied the most significant proportion, accounting for 55.5%, followed by electricity at 35.5%. The waste has the lowest environmental impact, with 0.55%. Uncertainty analyses showed that the data and results in this article were reliable. The results of the sensitivity analyses indicated that more attention should be paid to the data quality of steam and electricity. Compared with the traditional water bath dyeing process, the low-pressure anhydrous dyeing system can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 30% and, more importantly, can avoid almost all the consumption of clean water. This anhydrous dyeing system can save water and reduce carbon emissions, which is of positive significance to the sustainable development of the textile and fashion industry. Further studies could use the water footprint as an indicator to evaluate this dyeing system in terms of water consumption and potential environmental impact.