Strategies to reduce environmental impacts from textiles: Extending clothing wear life compared to fibre displacement assessed using consequential LCA

Title
Strategies to reduce environmental impacts from textiles: Extending clothing wear life compared to fibre displacement assessed using consequential LCA
Publication Date
2023
Author(s)
Wiedemann, Stephen G
Clarke, Simon J
Nguyen, Quan V
Cheah, Zhong Xiang
Simmons, Aaron T
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3638-4945
Email: asimmo31@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:asimmo31
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Place of publication
The Netherlands
DOI
10.1016/j.resconrec.2023.107119
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/58494
Abstract

This study compared two strategies for reducing the environmental consequences of garments: changing fibre types or increasing the number of wears per garment to avoid manufacturing new garments. Scenarios were quantified using multi-indicator consequential life cycle assessment, and sensitivity was determined to test the robustness of the results. Increasing the number of wears per garment resulted in lower impacts across all indicators and fibre types. Conversely, changing fibre types resulted in changes to co-product systems and in tradeoffs between environmental impacts, limiting the effectiveness of this strategy to reduce garment environmental impacts. Consistent environmental improvements were achieved by maximising the actual wear life of garments and minimising unnecessary garment purchases, not by changing fibre types. Strategies focused on reducing impacts from textiles and garments should focus on maximising consumer garment use as the highest priority to reduce environmental impact using fibre types and garment designs most suited to long life.

Link
Citation
Resources, Conservation and Recycling, v.198, p. 1-9
ISSN
1879-0658
0921-3449
Start page
1
End page
9
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International

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