We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Life cycle assessment applications to reuse, recycling and circular practices for textiles: A review
AI summary Read the abstract
This review of 45 life cycle assessment studies on textile waste management found that separate collection followed by reuse yields the greatest environmental benefits, while textile incineration with mixed municipal waste is the second-largest contributor to climate change after plastics.
To understand which are the best strategies for textile waste management and to analyse the effects on the environment of applying circular economy practices to textile products, a review of 45 publications where life cycle assessment (LCA) is applied to these topics has been carried out. The separate collection of textiles, followed by reuse and recycling brings relevant environmental benefits, with impacts related to reuse resulting lower than those of recycling. At the opposite, when mixed municipal solid waste is addressed to energy recovery, the textile fraction is the second most impacting on climate change, right after plastics, while for landfill disposal impacts textiles directly follow the more biodegradable fractions. Textiles manufacturing using recycled fibres generally gives lower impacts than using virgin ones, with a few exceptions in some impact categories for cotton and polyester. The circular practices with the lowest impacts are those that ensure the extension of the textiles service life. Another aim of this review is to identify the main variables affecting the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). These resulted to be the yield and material demand of recycling processes, the use phase variables, the assumptions on virgin production replaced by reuse or recycling, the substitution factor in reuse, and transportation data in business models based on sharing. Thus, in LCA modelling, great attention should be paid to these variables. Future research should address these aspects, to acquire more relevant data, based on industrial-scale processes and on people habits towards the circular economy strategies applied to textiles.
More Papers Like This
Uncertainty of Life Cycle Assessment Studies for Blended Textiles
AI summary Read the abstract
This study assessed the environmental impact uncertainty of cotton-polyester blended textiles using life cycle assessment, finding that gaps in inventory data produce results varying by up to 772% from baseline scenarios, highlighting the need for standardized reporting before reliable environmental assessments of blended fabrics are possible.
Sustainability in Textiles: Life Cycle Assessment of Polyester and Cotton Production with Dissolution Recycling Pathways
AI summary Read the abstract
A life cycle assessment of dissolving equal-ratio polyester-cotton textile blends with DMSO found that dissolution recycling generates lower energy consumption and carbon emissions than incineration, demonstrating a more sustainable pathway for recovering synthetic fibers from mixed textile waste. Diverting synthetic textiles from landfill and incineration through dissolution recycling reduces the generation of polyester microplastics that enter soil and water during fiber degradation.
Avaliação do Ciclo de vida na Indústria Têxtil: Um Estudo Bibliométrico
AI summary Read the abstract
A bibliometric analysis of life cycle assessment research in the textile industry identified three main research clusters covering sustainability, waste management, and direct environmental impacts including microplastic pollution. The study found that while interest in sustainable textile practices is growing, research specifically combining LCA with the textile industry remains limited.
Actions based on the circular economy that minimize the environmental impacts generated by the manufacture of clothing in Colombia
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed circular economy strategies applicable to Colombia's textile and clothing manufacturing sector, identifying actions such as fiber recycling (cotton, polyester, nylon) and solid waste management plans that can reduce environmental impacts while the sector accounts for approximately 8.2% of national GDP.
Advancing sustainability of textiles: a life cycle and microfiber emission assessment of locally manufactured circular sportswear
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers performed a full life cycle assessment of a circular-economy cycling jersey manufactured locally in Europe, finding that energy use was the dominant environmental impact and that marine microplastic emissions from synthetic fibers were comparable in harm to nutrient pollution. The study found that changes to manufacturing and consumer washing habits could reduce the jersey's environmental footprint by up to 33%.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.