Addressing significant carbon footprint and cross-boundary leakage of textile and apparel industries in 21 South China cities

Reducing carbon emissions in textile and apparel industries is challenging owing to their complex and energy-intensive supply chains. Although these two sectors remain economically vital to many Chinese cities, their climate impacts, shaped by evolving consumption patterns and industrial relocation, remain insufficiently understood. This study traces the interregional carbon emission transfers of textile and apparel industries across 21 South China cities by integrating multi-regional input–output analysis with structural decomposition, structural path, and ecological network analyses. Our results reveal a paradoxical trend in both industries: although textile and apparel industries achieved significant reductions in emission intensities during 2012-2017, primarily through energy restructuring and technological advancements, their consumption-based carbon footprints surged by 71.2% and 23.2%, respectively. Rising per capita consumption was the dominant driver of footprint growth during 2012–2015, yet a structural shift occurred in 2015–2017, when carbon intensity and production structure emerged as the primary contributors. Upstream supply chains, particularly electricity supply, transportation, and wholesale trade, collectively accounted for over one-third of the total carbon footprint. Furthermore, ongoing industrial relocation has progressively deepened the network dependence of many cities on production hubs like Foshan and Jieyang, underscoring the critical importance of decarbonizing these key industrial centers for achieving system-wide emission reductions. Our findings underscore the critical need for mitigating carbon footprints and cross-boundary emission leakage of textile and apparel industries during industrial relocation across cities.