Carbon dioxide intensity towards carbon-neutral glove industry

Abstract

Despite the heightened urgency of curbing carbon emissions around the world, the healthcare sector in general, and the glove manufacturing sector in particular have received very little attention from the sustainability community in terms of their contribution to the global carbon footprint especially during this pandemic. Producing more products with lesser resources is crucial in view of the growing scarcity of natural resources. Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) are one of the major causes of climate change. As environmental related issues are part of the sustainability areas of concerns, industrial players are required to oversees climate change in the company and reports accordingly. It is important to manage and implement environmental initiatives to improve operational eco-efficiency and reduce carbon footprint from company. Industrialist should recognise the importance of enhancing operational eco-efficiency as it improves competitiveness in terms of cost reduction and reduces environmental liabilities. An important step in emission reduction efforts is quantification of the emissions based on the inventory or scope segregation and identification of the specific sources of emission. The aim of this paper is to conduct GHG gas emission assessment in glove manufacturing plant. The results will inform plant owners and decision-makers about the major point source of emissions, which in turn, will reveal the operational requirements that should be prioritized for intervention. In conclusion, F24 contributed to 547.64 t CO2e / 1000 pcs of gloves in 2021 majorly by scope 3.