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Environmental assessment of Swedish fashion consumption. Five garments – sustainable futures.
... In the literature, 50:50 ratio is a prevalent ratio for textile product production. This ratio was selected because of its popularity in the market and literature (De Saxce et al., 2012;Fidan et al., 2021a;Roos et al., 2015;Zhang et al., 2020). Given that it is not technically feasible to produce denim fabric from 50% and 100% recycled PET due to the lack of technology for desirable construction, appearance, and mechanical properties, as well as the impossibility of indigo rope dyeing, these hypothetical scenarios were developed to assess the sustainability options of denim fabric. ...
... Life cycle impact assessment. A life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) was conducted using the ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint (H) V1 method (Ekener-Petersen & Finnveden, 2013;Goedkoop et al., 2013;Roos et al., 2015). The textile industry has detrimental impacts on soil, water, and atmospheric systems by employing hazardous substances during dyeing and finishing procedures (Leal Filho et al., 2019). ...
The textile industry is under pressure to adopt sustainable production methods because its contribution to global warming is expected to rise by 50% by 2030. One solution is to increase the use of recycled raw material. The use of recycled raw material must be considered holistically, including its environmental and economic impacts. This study examined eight scenarios for sustainable denim fabric made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fiber, conventional PET fiber, and cotton fiber. The evaluation based on the distance from average solution (EDAS) multicriteria decision-making method was used to rank scenarios according to their environmental and economic impacts, which are assessed using life cycle assessment and life cycle costing. Allocation, a crucial part of evaluating the environmental impact of recycled products, was done using cut-off and waste value. Life cycle assessments reveal that recycled PET fiber has lower freshwater ecotoxicity and fewer eutrophication and acidification impacts. Cotton outperformed PET fibers in human toxicity. Only the cut-off method reduces potential global warming with recycled PET. These findings indicated that recycled raw-material life cycle assessment requires allocation. Life cycle cost analysis revealed that conventional PET is less economically damaging than cotton and recycled PET. The scenarios were ranked by environmental and economic impacts using EDAS. This ranking demonstrated that sustainable denim fabric production must consider both economic and environmental impacts. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;20:2347–2365. © 2024 The Author(s). Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).
Key Points
This study investigated denim fabrics produced using recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fiber instead of virgin cotton and conventional PET fiber in eight scenarios. The life cycle cost (LCC), life cycle assessment (LCA), and evaluation based on distance from average solution methodologies were used to analyze, and a sensitivity analysis was performed to assess LCA uncertainty. Using recycled PET with the cut-off method instead of cotton resulted in positive environmental outcomes across most categories, indicating a significant reduction in impacts such as global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, and ionizing radiation. Using recycled PET with the waste valuation method often leads to more negative outcomes than the cut-off method, suggesting that the allocation method plays a crucial role in determining the environmental benefits of recycled materials.
... In this simplified setting, the baseline scenario exclusively explores the purchasing option, with each customer aspiring to possess 10 dresses. Drawing from Roos et al. (2015) an average of 1 event per month is assumed. Over an approximate span of 18 years, and considering only the purchasing option, the model projects a cumulative total of 48,000 dresses available in the system (Fig. 7A), leading to an estimated average of 5.7 uses per dress over its lifetime (Fig. 7B). ...
... In this study, a hypothetical baseline scenario was presented considering a small population of potential customers for the renting service with a given number of dresses in their wardrobes and with a defined number of events to attend monthly (Roos et al., 2015). The baseline scenario provided a reference for resource use, critical to making explicit the performance of renting relative to purchasing and the occurrence and magnitude of the RE. ...
Current research in Circular Economy (CE) fails to address the occurrence of Rebound Effects (RE), which are systemic and behavioural responses to the implementation of interventions hindering the potential sustainability benefits. This paper aims to advance the academic discussion and the practical consideration of RE by exploring the potential of using System Dynamics (SD) to enable the ex-ante identification of potential RE of CE initiatives. A five-stage simulation-based approach for the identification and mitigation of potential rebound effects (AIMRE) is proposed. Its application is demonstrated in a use-oriented product/service system (PSS) case focused on a high-end dress rental service. The AIMRE enables the representation of the magnitude and reasons for RE occurrence through 14 scenarios. The finding highlights the importance of considering the interplay between consumers' and companies’ decision-making processes in quantifying, understanding, and mitigating RE occurrence.
... In this simplified setting, the baseline scenario exclusively explores the purchasing option, with each customer aspiring to possess 10 dresses. Drawing from Roos et al. (2015) an average of 1 event per month is assumed. Over an approximate span of 18 years, and considering only the purchasing option, the model projects a cumulative total of 48,000 dresses available in the system (Fig. 7A), leading to an estimated average of 5.7 uses per dress over its lifetime (Fig. 7B). ...
... In this study, a hypothetical baseline scenario was presented considering a small population of potential customers for the renting service with a given number of dresses in their wardrobes and with a defined number of events to attend monthly (Roos et al., 2015). The baseline scenario provided a reference for resource use, critical to making explicit the performance of renting relative to purchasing and the occurrence and magnitude of the RE. ...
... Constantly changing trends lead to short shelf life of fashion products, as care is often neglected and quickly discarded (Zamani et al., 2017). This makes fast fashion a major driver of negative environmental impacts (Roos et al., 2015), as well as on a social level; the production process is continuously in the spotlight as a consequence of exploitation, especially in developing countries (Uddin et al., 2023). Data indicate that during the last few years, the industry's production has doubled, with sales volume increasing from 100 to 200 billion units per year, while the garment's lifespan was reduced, on average, by 36% (Earth, 2022). ...
Sustainability has become a crucial issue today in order to align lifestyle with the physical limits of the planet, so economic, social, and political agents must urgently adopt actions. In the case of the textile industry, it has traditionally been characterized by short and highly changing fashion cycles, leading to unsustainable production and consumption practices by producers and consumers, generating between 2 and 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions, as well as a significant amount of waste. However, significant improvements have been observed in the sector in recent years to adopt sustainability principles, so this research article proposes a systematic literature review to identify them. Our findings show progress in four dimensions: (a) changes in consumer behavior: increased awareness and value towards sustainability; (b) new value propositions based on sustainability principles; (c) application of circular economy principles to the fashion industry; and (d) new business models and niches in the sustainable fashion industry. Additionally, a future research agenda is proposed, highlighting the main challenges that need to be addressed in each of the analyzed dimensions.
... It contributes 10% of total carbon emissions worldwide, second only to the oil industry in terms of pollution [2]. This industry's manufacturing processes are notorious for their intensive water use, chemical emissions, and high energy consumption, which exacerbate environmental concerns [3,4]. Hazardous waste generated during production poses additional threats to the environment, including soil contamination and water pollution [5]. ...
The increasing awareness of environmental challenges has significantly influenced consumer behavior, with sustainable products, particularly sustainable clothing, becoming a top priority for Generation Z consumers. This study aims to investigate the factors influencing Generation Z’s purchase intentions toward sustainable clothing in Vietnam, guided by the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) frameworks. Specifically, it examines the effects of green perceived value, green perceived quality, perceived price, social influence, product design, environmental concern, and environmental knowledge on purchase intentions. The study also explores the mediating roles of environmental attitude and product attitude in these relationships. The research employed a quantitative approach, using a Likert scale questionnaire to gather data from 641 Vietnamese Generation Z consumers. The study utilized exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the data. The results revealed that all proposed hypotheses were supported, indicating that all factors significantly impact environmental attitude and product attitude, which, in turn, influence purchase intention. The results emphasize the strong mediating role of environmental attitude and product attitude, suggesting that consumers with positive attitudes toward the environment and products are more likely to intend to purchase sustainable clothing. This research provides valuable insights into the psychological and contextual factors that influence Generation Z’s sustainable consumption behavior. For marketers, these findings underscore the need to promote transparency in sustainable practices, emphasize high product quality and appealing designs, and engage this demographic through community involvement and authentic sustainability efforts.
... The environmental impact of fabric production is significant, the cradle-to-gate carbon footprints of fabrics range from about 0.7 -36 kgCO2e per kg of fabric production [1]. Figure 4 shows the cradle-to-gate emission factor (per kg) of different textile processes [16]. Reducing resource and energy consumption in fabric production may move towards more industrial sustainability and reduce the country's textile industry's dependence on resources and energy imports. ...
The Ecological Footprint assessment of the textile industry explores the environmental impact of the cloth (fabric) manufacturing process. This study assesses the resource consumption, manpower requirements and overall environmental impact of textile (fabric) production in India. The Ecological Footprint of cotton fabric and synthetic fabric production from their raw materials is 16.64–18.17 gha/ton and 10.2–11.87 gha/ton; respectively. Findings from this research provide valuable insights into the sustainability challenges posed by power loom textile manufacturing and suggest potential strategies for reducing its environmental impact. The Ecological Footprint analysis of the textile industry may help policymakers make decisions to promote more sustainable practices and contribute to developing environmentally friendly textile production methods.
... The main problem is the emission of large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) during their production and disposal [11]. The remaining 37% are predominantly cotton-based products, a waterintensive crop associated with water depletion and pollution due to intensive pesticide use [12,13]. Hence, it has been estimated that for the industry, the impact of the use of clothing in some countries (e.g., Sweden) needs to be reduced by 30-100% by 2050 to be considered sustainable [14,15]. ...
Textiles are composed of different types of fibers; thus, different processes for end-of-life recovery are currently applied. After collection, a prior sorting process is essential to classify the textiles and assess their quality in order to ensure that the best available technology is selected, with mechanical recycling being the most widespread and mature. Nevertheless, it still has important limitations as it is not suitable for the treatment of all fibers, especially those of non-organic origin and blends. On the other hand, chemical recycling appears to be a necessary technology to valorize the fibers that cannot be reused or mechanically recycled and to avoid landfilling. This article aims to provide an overview of the available technologies in the field of textile waste recycling, including collection, pretreatment, and mechanical and chemical recycling processes. Each technology is described identifying pros and cons, and a techno-economical assessment is presented including technology readiness levels (TRLs), investments, and costs. European and Spanish regulations and policies on textile waste are analyzed to identify the trends and directions the sector is moving towards.
... However, the composition of the environmental impacts of work trousers throughout their lifecycle, as shown in the LCA results (Fig. 1), indicates that extending the garment's lifespan is likely to reduce environmental impacts. LCAs investigating other textiles (Laitala et al., 2015;Roos et al., 2015) and passive products (Böckin et al., 2020) suggest that designing for durability is highly likely to reduce environmental impact. ...
... Fibre production accounts for 17% and fabric production for 42%, resulting in half's of the product's total impact on the climate. End of life was accounted for 0 % on the eco footprint list [38,39]. No other similar contradictory study results could be tracked in academic research thusly making wool industry persistent eco-arrangement with biodegradation in its communication another example of greenwashing. ...
Although being one of the most popular world fibres, wool industry is addressed with severe environmental allegations. While majority of scientific texts does not leave to much doubt about its production negative impact on the ecosystem, wool business does not stop to promote itself via green claims. The internet popular links present a divergent, positive picture of that material, where one might recognize parties being financially involved in such communication. As wool producers or organizations linked to wool business are top positioned in the web as providers of wool green image, the below article brings an interpretation of the industry greenwashing techniques. This comparative analysis of wool umbrella institutions’ webpages exposes myths endorsed about wool’s sustainability. The investigation follows case study of Woolmark brand, where associations to similar, highly ranked websites were conducted likewise. The results have been additionally matched with available scientific data from LCA relative statistics and The Higg Index, to provide contra argumentation from academic sources. The results of this paper could be used both by researchers or fashion lecturers, likewise by fashion marketers to recognize greenwashing techniques, to deliver adequate scientific numbers about unsustainable aspects of wool and to support them in creating a relevant content about wool’s environmental impacts.
Purpose
The planetary boundaries (PBs) framework suggests global limits for environmental interventions which could be used to set global goals for reducing environmental impacts. This paper proposes a procedure for using such global goals for setting impact-reduction targets at the scale of products for use, for example, in life cycle assessment (LCA) contexts, e.g. as a basis for evaluating the potential of interventions to reduce the environmental impact of products.
Methods
The procedure consists of four steps: (i) identifying the PBs quantified in literature that correspond to an impact category which is studied in the product assessment context in question; (ii) interpreting what the identified PBs imply in terms of global impact-reduction targets; (iii) translating the outcome of (ii) to reduction targets for the particular global market segment to which the studied product belongs; and (iv) translating the outcome of (iii) to reduction targets for the studied product. The procedure requires some assumptions and value-based choices—the influence of these is tested by applying the procedure in a specific LCA context: a study of Swedish clothing consumption.
Results and discussion
The application of the procedure in an LCA context suggested the need for eliminating all or nearly all impact of Swedish clothing consumption for most impact categories. Thus, it is improbable that a single type of impact-reduction intervention (e.g. technological development or changed user behaviour) is sufficient. The outcome’s strong dependence on impact category suggests that the procedure can help in prioritising among impact categories. Furthermore, the outcome exhibited a strong dependence on the chosen method for allocating the globally allowed impact between regions—this was tested by applying different principles identified in a literature review on the allocation of emissions rights. The outcome also strongly depended on the geographical scope—this was tested by changing the geographical scope from Sweden to Nigeria.
Conclusions
The proposed procedure is feasible to use for LCA practitioners and other environmental analysts, and data is available to apply the procedure in contexts with different geographical scopes. Value-based choices are, however, unavoidable and significantly influence the outcome, which accentuates the subjectivity and potentially controversial nature of allocating a finite impact space to certain regions, market segments and products. How to match PBs with appropriate LCA impact categories is an important area for future research.
