Jute: Emissions
A low-carbon fibre, if you ignore the ponds
What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint of the commodity at a global level, split by lifecycle phase: extraction (or farming), refining and processing, movement, usage, and recycling or end of life. Intensities are per unit of product; the global total combines intensity with world output. Also covers other environmental impacts and the main levers to cut emissions. Emission intensity 0.25 t CO2e per t range about 0.2-0.4 (estimate; retting methane excluded) · indicative estimate from IPCC 2019 default N2O factors, about 60 kg N per ha and yields of 2.6-2.9 t/ha; no global LCA average was found Global emissions per year 1.00 Mt CO2e per year 2024 · intensity x 3.70 Mt production, excluding retting methane and mill processing (indicative)Per t of raw retted jute fibre at farm gate; cradle-to-farm-gate. Intensity: IPCC 2019 Refinement default factors; FAOSTAT 2024 yields (indicative estimate). Global total: FAOSTAT 2024 (by calculation).
Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
Extraction 100%Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extraction | about 0.25 t CO2e/t (about 0.65-0.7 t CO2e per ha) | 100% | fertiliser manufacture and field N2O, diesel for tillage, some irrigation | Jute is mostly rainfed and needs little pesticide. A study by ICAR-CRIJAF (Mitra et al., Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2018) measured jute's carbon footprint and energy use, but its figures were not retrieved here. | IPCC 2019 defaults (indicative estimate); ICAR-CRIJAF |
| Refining / processing | not quantified | – | retting in ponds (anaerobic, can release methane), mill electricity for softening, carding, spinning and weaving | Retting methane is not measured in a source found. Indian mills draw grid power at about 0.7 kg CO2 per kWh (CEA CO2 Baseline Database, indicative). | CEA (indicative) |
| Movement | not quantified; small | – | road and river transport from Bangladesh and fields to Hooghly mills | Short distances and low-value bulk keep transport minor. | qualitative |
| Usage | not applicable | – | sacks and cloth are used without energy input | Jute bags are reused several times for grain. The crop's gross CO2 uptake is often quoted at about 15 t CO2 per ha per season (National Jute Board, indicative), but most of that carbon returns to air when fibre, sticks and leaves decay or burn, so it is not a net removal. | National Jute Board (indicative) |
| Recycling / end of life | low; biodegradable | – | reuse of gunny bags, then decay or burning | Jute rots in months, unlike polypropylene sacks, which persist for decades. No recycling rate is published. | content_v2 jute |
Other environmental impacts
Retting pollutes ponds and rivers with organic matter and lowers oxygen. Jute sticks are burned as household fuel.
Levers to cut emissions
- Microbial retting formulations developed by ICAR-CRIJAF shorten retting and need less water (indicative).
- Balanced, precise nitrogen dosing to cut field N2O, the largest farm source.
- Renewable power in mills to cut grid emissions at about 0.7 kg CO2 per kWh (CEA, indicative).
- Substituting jute for polypropylene sacks avoids fossil plastic and plastic waste.
India
India grows 38.2% of the world's jute and imports the most raw fibre (FAOSTAT; UN Comtrade 2024). Mill emissions depend on India's coal-heavy grid, at about 0.7 kg CO2 per kWh (CEA, indicative).
Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.