We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Life cycle assessment in fashion industry: a systematic review
AI summary Read the abstract
This systematic review of life cycle assessments in the fashion industry (2010-2024) found persistent methodological inconsistencies that undermine the reliability of sustainability claims. The review identifies microplastic emissions from textiles as a growing but poorly incorporated impact category, highlighting a gap in understanding the full environmental footprint of clothing.
The fashion industry exhausts natural resources like fresh water and natural gas while generating significant greenhouse gas emissions and textile waste. This US$1.7 trillion industry is globally fragmented, making environmental impact difficult to quantify. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is one of the key tools for evaluating cradle-to-grave impacts of products, but methodological inconsistencies reduce its reliability as a decision-support instrument. This study conducts a systematic literature review (2010–2024) of peer-reviewed LCAs and industry reports on textiles and apparel, following PRISMA guidelines. The review finds persisting limitations, including limited access to reliable primary and secondary data sets, inconsistent system boundaries and allocation techniques, incomparable functional units, and weak incorporation of growing priorities, including circularity, microplastic emissions, and biodiversity impacts. These impede cross-study comparability and hinder the reliability of sustainability claims. By summarising patterns in LCA practice, the study suggests a research agenda that prioritizes methodological standardization, hybrid attributional-consequential-prospective methodologies, and region-specific inventory datasets. The findings underscore the importance of transparent, traceable, and decision-oriented LCAs in guiding material innovation, circular design strategies, and regulatory compliance.
More Papers Like This
Standards of sustainability in the fashion industry
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines sustainability standards in the fashion industry, which accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions, significant water use, and over 85% of textiles going to landfill annually, and explores how washing synthetic clothing releases microplastics into waterways. The authors assess regulatory frameworks, voluntary standards, and the gap between the industry's environmental impact and current sustainability commitments.
Modeling marine microplastic emissions in Life Cycle Assessment: characterization factors for biodegradable polymers and their application in a textile case study
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed new methods for measuring the environmental impact of biodegradable plastic microplastic emissions using life cycle assessment. They found that microplastic degradation rates may be overestimated when based on data from larger plastic pieces, and that microplastic emissions could account for up to 30% of the total environmental impact in a textile case study. The work aims to improve the accuracy of environmental comparisons between conventional and biodegradable materials.
The Environmental Impact of the Fashion Industry: The Necessity of Sustainability
AI summary Read the abstract
This study examines the environmental impact of the fashion industry across six dimensions — carbon emissions, clothing waste and synthetic material pollution, chemical and dye water contamination, water resource consumption, microplastic fiber shedding, and land use — arguing for the necessity of systemic sustainability transitions in fashion production and consumption.
Review on Sustainability in the Textiles and Apparel Industry: A Comprehensive Analysis of Environmental and Social Impacts
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers review sustainability challenges in the global textile industry from 2024 to 2026, examining how synthetic fiber shedding drives aquatic microplastic contamination alongside PFAS toxicity, carbon and water footprints, and labor rights issues, while assessing blockchain traceability, bio-based materials, and circular resale as emerging mitigation strategies.
Transformation Toward Slow Fashion: A Literature Synthesis on the Ecological and Social Impacts of Fast Fashion
AI summary Read the abstract
This review synthesized literature from 2014 to 2024 on the ecological and social impacts of fast fashion, finding that the industry contributes up to 10% of global carbon emissions, generates significant microplastic and textile waste, consumes large water volumes, and is linked to labor exploitation — while identifying slow fashion as a viable sustainable alternative.
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.