Polyester Reimagined: Evaluating the Impact of Textiles in Accelerating a Market for Low-Emissions Chemicals

The report analyzes the lifecycle emissions of polyester t-shirts to identify decarbonization opportunities for chemical producers and retailers. It argues that defining emissions reduction thresholds at upstream stages, such as the PET resin step rather than the fabric step, is essential to stimulate investment in low-emission chemical production. The analysis categorizes solutions into near-term operational changes (reducing up to 47% of footprints), near-term capital investments (reducing 31%), and long-term innovations (reducing 13-28% or up to 45% with transformative feedstocks). To derisk these capital-intensive transitions, the report suggests aggregated demand from multiple sectors (automotive, healthcare, construction), the formation of buyers alliances, and the implementation of green public procurement, noting that a 10-50% shift in US military procurement for polyester and nylon equipment could represent $100-$500 million in spending.

• Primary chemicals serving as precursors for polyester are the dominant source of direct emissions in the value chain, accounting for 77 percent of Scope 1 emissions. These emissions result from processing fossil fuel materials using fossil-based heat and feedstocks.
• Emissions reductions can be achieved through three tiers of intervention: near-term operational changes (procuring low-leakage natural gas and renewable electricity) can mitigate 47% of a polyester t-shirt's footprint; near-term capital investments (low-intensity hydrogen and electrification of low-to-medium heat) can reduce 31%; and long-term innovations (electrifying steam cracking and using renewable CO2 and H2 feedstocks) can tackle the remaining 13-28% or reduce overall emissions by 45%.
• The placement of emissions reduction thresholds in the value chain determines which technologies are deployed. A 50% reduction target defined at the polyester fabric step may only drive renewable energy procurement in spinning and weaving, whereas a target defined at the PET resin step encourages the deployment of capital investments to cut emissions from chemical production.
• Green public procurement in the United States for military uniforms and equipment made of polyester and nylon could direct between $100 million and $500 million toward low-emission chemicals if there is a 10-50 percent shift in procurement.

APA

RMI (2025). Polyester Reimagined: Evaluating the Impact of Textiles in Accelerating a Market for Low-Emissions Chemicals. https://rmi.org/resources/polyester-reimagined-evaluating-the-impact-of-textiles-in-accelerating-a-market-for-low-emissions-chemicals/

Chicago

RMI. Polyester Reimagined: Evaluating the Impact of Textiles in Accelerating a Market for Low-Emissions Chemicals. 2025. https://rmi.org/resources/polyester-reimagined-evaluating-the-impact-of-textiles-in-accelerating-a-market-for-low-emissions-chemicals/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Polyester Reimagined: Evaluating the Impact of Textiles in Accelerating a Market for Low-Emissions Chemicals |date=16 January 2025 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/polyester-reimagined-evaluating-the-impact-of-textiles-in-accelerating-a-market-for-low-emissions-chemicals/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2025polyester, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Polyester Reimagined: Evaluating the Impact of Textiles in Accelerating a Market for Low-Emissions Chemicals}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/polyester-reimagined-evaluating-the-impact-of-textiles-in-accelerating-a-market-for-low-emissions-chemicals/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }