Assessing the Environmental Impact of Textiles and the Clothing Supply Chain

1.1 Introduction......Page 5
 1.3 Social sustainability......Page 6
 1.5 The textile supply chain: an overview......Page 7
 1.6 The production of natural fibres......Page 12
  1.6.1 Cotton: conventional and organic......Page 15
  1.6.2 Hemp and flax......Page 17
  1.6.3 Wool and silk......Page 18
 1.7 The production of synthetic fibres......Page 19
  1.7.1 Polyester......Page 20
  1.7.3 Polyolefins......Page 21
  1.7.5 Viscose rayon......Page 22
 1.8 Spinning......Page 23
 1.9 Fabric manufacture......Page 24
 1.10 Finishing processes......Page 26
 1.12 Distribution and retail......Page 27
 1.13 Usage and disposal......Page 28
 1.14 Summary: key challenges in assessing and reducing environmental impacts......Page 30
 11.16 References......Page 31
 2.2 Ways of measuring the environmental impacts of textile processing and textile products......Page 37
  Life cycle management......Page 38
  Eco-efficiency......Page 39
  Material intensity per service unit......Page 40
  2.2.1 Product sustainability life cycle assessment: a brief introduction......Page 41
  2.2.2 Product sustainability: product carbon and ecological footprints......Page 43
 2.3 Environmental legislation relating to textiles......Page 44
   Integrated pollution prevention and control......Page 45
   Emission trading system......Page 46
   Regulation on registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals......Page 47
    Criteria for textile fibres......Page 48
    Criteria for manufacturing (processes and chemicals)......Page 49
  2.3.2 Legislation in the United States......Page 50
   The toxic substances control act......Page 51
  2.4.1 Global organic textile standard......Page 52
  2.4.2 Bluesign......Page 53
  2.4.3 Oeko-Tex standards......Page 54
  2.4.4 Eco-labels......Page 55
 2.6 Sources of further information and advice......Page 56
 2.7 References......Page 57
 3.2 The main principles of carbon footprint measurement......Page 61
  3.2.2 The concept of carbon footprint......Page 62
  3.2.3 Significance of carbon footprint assessment......Page 63
 3.3 Carbon footprint assessment methodology......Page 64
 3.4 Applications of product carbon footprint assessment to key stages in the supply chain......Page 69
  3.5.1 Carbon footprint of a textile product......Page 70
  3.5.3 Carbon footprint of textile manufacturing processes......Page 72
  3.5.4 Carbon footprint of transportation and distribution phases......Page 74
  3.5.5 Carbon footprint of consumer use and disposal phases......Page 75
 3.6 Summary: key challenges in calculating the product carbon footprint in textiles......Page 76
 3.8 References......Page 78
 4.2 Water footprints: an introduction......Page 80
 4.3 Methods for assessing water footprints......Page 82
 4.4 Applications of water footprint assessment to key stages in the textile supply chain......Page 84
 4.5 Energy footprints: introduction and methods of assessment......Page 86
  4.6.1 Energy consumption in fibre manufacture......Page 88
  4.6.2 Energy consumption in spinning, weaving and wet processes......Page 89
 4.7 Summary: key challenges in calculating water and energy footprints......Page 92
 4.8 Sources of further information and advice......Page 93
 4.9 References......Page 94
 5.2 Main principles and methods......Page 97
  5.2.1 Ecological footprint accounting of products and processes......Page 98
 5.3 Application to key stages in the supply chain......Page 99
 5.4 Summary: key challenges in calculating ecological footprints in textiles......Page 101
 5.5 Sources of further information and advice......Page 102
 5.6 References......Page 104
 6.1 Introduction......Page 106
 6.3 Basic principles of life cycle assessment......Page 107
 6.4 Life cycle assessment goal and scope definition......Page 109
 6.5 Life cycle inventory analysis......Page 110
 6.6 Life cycle impact assessment......Page 112
  6.6.2 Mandatory elements of life cycle impact assessment: characterization......Page 113
  6.6.3 Optional elements of life cycle impact assessment: normalization......Page 114
  6.9.1 Attributional and consequential life cycle assessment......Page 115
  6.10.1 Eco-indicator'99 method......Page 117
   6.10.1.1 Characterization......Page 118
   6.10.1.2 Dealing with uncertainties......Page 119
   6.10.2.1 Characterization......Page 120
  6.10.3 The Recipe method......Page 121
  6.10.6 USEtox......Page 123
 6.12 Advantages and limitations of life cycle assessment......Page 124
 6.13 Summary......Page 125
 6.14 Sources of further information and advice......Page 126
 6.15 References......Page 128
 7.2 Modelling for product carbon footprint and life cycle assessment of textile products......Page 131
 7.3 Available databases for life cycle assessment and product carbon footprint modelling of textiles and the clothing supply chain......Page 135
 7.4 Key issues in using databases......Page 137
 7.5 Difficulties in modelling and simulation......Page 138
 7.7 Sources of further information and advice......Page 140
 7.8 References......Page 141
 8.1 Introduction......Page 142
 8.3 Reuse of textile products......Page 143
 8.4 Recycling of textile products......Page 145
  8.4.1 Challenges for recycling of textile products......Page 147
  8.4.2 Recyclability of textile fibres: the concept and quantification of recyclability potential index......Page 148
 8.5 Incineration and landfilling of textile products......Page 151
 8.6 Biodegradation of textile products......Page 152
 8.7 Summary......Page 155
 8.8 Sources of further information and advice......Page 156
 8.9 References......Page 157
 9.1 Introduction......Page 160
  9.2.1 Carbon footprint of a T-shirt manufactured in India, used and disposed of in the United Kingdom......Page 161
  9.2.3 Carbon footprint of a 100% organic cotton T-shirt manufactured in India......Page 162
  9.2.4 Study of life cycle inventory (quantification of energy use and four major pollutants) of a cotton T-shirt produced in Indi .........Page 163
  9.3.1 Study by Levi Strauss & Co......Page 164
 9.4 Woollen clothing: life cycle assessment study of a sweater......Page 165
  9.5.1 Life cycle assessment of a polyester blouse......Page 166
  9.5.2 Study of the life cycle inventory (quantification of energy use and four major pollutants) of a polyester jacket produced i .........Page 167
 9.6 Linen textiles: life cycle assessment of a linen shirt......Page 168
  9.7.2 Life cycle assessment of surgical scrub suits......Page 169
  9.8.1 Life cycle assessment of reusable and disposable nappies......Page 170
  9.8.2 Carbon footprint and eco-footprint of adult incontinence products......Page 171
  9.9.1 Life cycle assessment benchmarking study on five types of textiles......Page 172
  9.9.2 Life cycle assessment of cotton T-shirts in China......Page 174
 9.11 Sources of further information and advice......Page 175
 9.12 References......Page 177
 10.1 Introduction......Page 179
 10.3 Current problems in environmental assessment......Page 180
 10.4 Future trends......Page 182
 10.5 Sources of further information and advice......Page 183
 10.6 References......Page 184
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