Life cycle assessment to tackle the take-make-waste paradigm in the textiles production

Abstract

Under the environmental perspective, textiles represent the fourth highest pressure commodity worldwide. In Europe, it is estimated that over 95 Mt of textile waste are generated along the entire supply chain, with still high percentages of textiles addressed to landfill or incineration. The present research, through a systematic literature review on textiles production and consumption, investigates their environmental concerns assessed through the application of the life cycle assessment. Considering the importance of identifying the products' life cycle hotspots on which actions are needed to reduce the overall impact, the manuscript focuses on the environmental performance related to the cradle-to-grave phases of textile products differentiated by type, composition, and intended use. It results that the production and use phases are those responsible for the greatest share of negative impacts, while the end-of-life generally has a small contribution. Distribution and consumption phases are less investigated, and considering the emerging consumption patterns (e.g., sharing and renting platforms), it seems essential to collect data. Circular practices can bring benefits under the environmental perspective, but in-depth studies are still required to estimate the shift of impacts from one phase of the life cycle to another. Overall, there is a paucity of studies comparing the use of different fibers, ownership models, manufacturing and disposal processes for the same functional unit, or data that would be necessary for low-impact design. The topic is still under-researched among academics and practitioners of the textile industry.

Keywords: Circular economy; Environmental sustainability; Life cycle assessment; Literature review; Textile fibers; Textile industry.