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A comprehensive review of greenwashing in the textile industry (life cycle assessment, life cycle cost, and eco-labeling)

  • S.I. : Greenwashing
  • Published:
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Abstract

This study explores the phenomenon of greenwashing, where companies and industries mislead consumers and shareholders by presenting a positive environmental image that is not supported by their actions. The textile industry, known for its significant contribution to environmental pollution, is the focus of this research. The investigation begins by defining greenwashing and discussing its classification, causes, and consequences. They then examine the laws and standards in the textile industry, which aim to reduce pollution and environmental impact. The investigation further delves into specific topics related to the textile industry, such as fast fashion, the circular economy, and sustainability. It delves into the examination of life cycle assessment (LCA) and the utilization of the ReCiPe approach for assessing the ecological footprint of textile materials. The findings reveal that the use phase and manufacturing have the most significant environmental impacts. The study also discusses the Rescorla–Wagner learning algorithm in the context of life cycle cost (LCC) simulation. The simulation results unequivocally illustrate that the implementation of eco-labeling practices across various textile industries can yield remarkable improvements in environmental sustainability, surpassing the 90% mark. Furthermore, the environmental impact assessment underscores that the most significant environmental impacts are primarily concentrated in the usage and manufacturing phases, thus emphasizing the critical importance of enacting strategic policies in these domains.

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Abbreviations

LCA:

Life cycle assessment

LCC:

Life cycle cost

SOEs:

State-owned enterprises

MNCs:

Multinational corporations

CSR:

Corporate social responsibility

GOTS:

Global Organic Textile Standard

USGBC:

United States Green Building Council

LEED:

Leadership in energy and environmental design

ESG:

Environmental, social, and governance

GRI:

Global reporting initiative

SASB:

Sustainability Accounting Standards Board

ETFs:

ESG-focused exchange-traded funds

TSMC:

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company

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Funding

Author Seeram Ramakrishna acknowledges the “Sustainable Tropical Data Centre Test Bed: A-0009465-0500” awarded by the National Research Foundation of Singapore. The authors are grateful for the financial support provided by Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT) in Tehran, Iran.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Hafez St, Tehran, 15875-4413, Iran

    Kosar Mousavi & Elaheh Kowsari

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Center for Nanofibers and Nanotechnology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 119260, Singapore

    Seeram Ramakrishna & Amutha Chinnappan

  3. Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies and Innovation, Technical University of Liberec, Studentská 1402/2, 461 17, Liberec 1, Czech Republic

    Mohammad Gheibi

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  1. Kosar Mousavi
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  2. Elaheh Kowsari
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  3. Seeram Ramakrishna
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  4. Amutha Chinnappan
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  5. Mohammad Gheibi
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Contributions

KM involved in conceptualization, writing-original draft preparation, writing—review and editing; revised, EK involved in conceptualization, writing—review and editing, supervision and feedback, funding acquisition, revised, SR involved in conceptualization, writing—review and editing funding acquisition resources, project administration; AC involved in writing—review and editing, All authors read and approved the final manuscript, MG involved in conceptualization, writing-original draft preparation, writing—review and editing, software; revised.

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Correspondence to Elaheh Kowsari or Seeram Ramakrishna.

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Mousavi, K., Kowsari, E., Ramakrishna, S. et al. A comprehensive review of greenwashing in the textile industry (life cycle assessment, life cycle cost, and eco-labeling). Environ Dev Sustain (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-024-04508-6

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