# How do I calculate the carbon footprint of a cushion cover?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/cushion-cover-carbon-footprint-per-piece

Take the fabric per cover, including cutting waste, and multiply by your mill's per-metre or per-kg figure. Add zips, piping, any embroidery or print, stitching, pressing and packing, then divide the unit's energy by covers passed.

## Materials

- Face and back fabric per cover from the cutting plan.
- Zips, piping cord and labels.
- Embroidery thread or print paste, where used.

## Making

- Cutting, stitching and overlock machines.
- Pressing and folding.
- Poly bags, inserts and cartons.

## Per piece

Report per cover by size, and keep the filler cushion separate if you sell it filled.

## Worked example: home textile unit per cover (one month)

- Electricity: 15,000 kWh x 0.710 = 10,650 kg CO2
- Covers passed: 60,000
- Plant total: 10,650 / 60,000 = 0.177 kg CO2 per cover
- Add fabric and trims for the full figure

Inputs are illustrative; use your own bills and production records.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible reads the plant's electricity bills (CEA grid factor 0.710 kg CO2 per kWh, CO2 Baseline Database version 21.0) and fuel invoices (IPCC 2006 defaults) into a fingerprinted Scope 1 and 2 record, the plant-level input to a per-unit figure. Bought-in materials go to the supplier evidence trail; product reports are self-declared drafts.

- [Product carbon footprint calculator](https://senseible.earth/calculators/product-carbon-footprint)
- [Cotton bed sheet footprint per set](https://senseible.earth/answers/cotton-bed-sheet-carbon-footprint-per-set)
- [Terry towel footprint per kg](https://senseible.earth/answers/terry-towel-carbon-footprint-per-kg)
- [Textile industry](https://senseible.earth/industries/textile)

Sources: [GHG Protocol Product Standard](https://ghgprotocol.org/standards), [ISO 14067:2018, Carbon footprint of products (iso.org)](https://www.iso.org), [IPCC 2006 Guidelines, Volume 2 Energy (fuel defaults)](https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/vol2.html), [CEA CO2 Baseline Database, version 21.0](https://cea.nic.in/cdm-co2-baseline-database/?lang=en)

Last reviewed 2026-10-20.