Grey water and carbon footprint of textile industry: A case study

• Grey water footprint (GWF) of textile industry was calculated based on multiple pollutants. • Carbon footprint (CF) of textile industry per energy consumption was evaluated. • 113 L of GWF with 10gr CF were the equivalent impacts of 1 m 2 of produced textile. • Phosphate was the leading pollutant for GWF assessment. This study evaluated the multi-pollutant grey water footprint (GWF) of textile production based on industrial wastewater samples from a factory in Isfahan, Iran. Chemical oxidation demand (COD), alkylbenzene sulfonate, phosphate, totals suspended solids, fats-oil-grease, cyanide, and phenol were analyzed. Their monthly average concentrations were 10137, 2.1, 354, 4306, 168, 0.56, and 1.3 mg/L, respectively. Phosphate emerged as the critical pollutant, increasing GWF to 113 L/m 2 of textile product (281 L/kg product). COD and phenol were the following critical pollutants in GWF with 59 and 39 L/m 2 , respectively. By consuming both electricity and natural gas, the carbon footprint was also 10 gCO 2 /m 2 of production (25 gCO 2 /kg product). These findings highlighted the substantial environmental pressures exerted by the textile industry and underscored the need for sustainable practices. Through an inclusive quantitative framework, the study advocates for GWF assessments that incorporate multiple pollutants, including hazardous wastewater constituents, to better evaluate environmental impacts.