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The Environmental Impact of Textiles and Clothing: A Regional and a Country Approach

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Book cover Progress on Life Cycle Assessment in Textiles and Clothing

Part of the book series: Textile Science and Clothing Technology ((TSCT))

Abstract

In the context of circularity, the European Commission has confirmed its intention to make sustainable textile products the norm in Europe as stated by the new EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles. New Eco-design for sustainable products regulations will also be defined and become mandatory, including requirements for increased durability, reparability, recyclability, and recycled content. As part of the strategy, more support for research, innovation, and investments are denoted. However, understanding and advancing innovations for circularity in textiles rigorous data are needed to help account more accurately for the flows and stocks. Such accounting is key to support a more sustainable textile value chain and to define just textile waste reduction targets. This chapter proposes the Material Flow Analysis methodology as a powerful tool to shed light on the metabolism of textiles and clothing. It has also been proved useful to consider their related environmental impacts. To illustrate the use of the material flow analysis for the analysis of textiles, national scale (Spain), and regional scale (Catalonia) analyses are performed. The input data include yarn, fibres, and finished products. Current available statistical data on imports and exports confirm a notable growth in the flows of cotton, synthetic fibres, and both knitted and woven products. As a result, the textile waste generated by the high volume of consumption, along with the still low percentage of recycling and reusing approach, calls for further measures to minimise textile and clothing environmental impacts. Precise estimates of the flows of textile inputs and outputs in a geographical area along with their respective carbon footprint provide consistent results of their current environmental impact, key to better defining waste textiles prevention targets crucial to improve their sustainability.

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Acknowledgements

This chapter has received financial support from the “María de Maeztu” Programme for Units of Excellence of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (CEX2019-000940-M) and from the Secretaria General de Recerca i Universitats from the department of Recerca i Universitats (Generalitat de Catalunya), project number: 2020PANDE00021.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sostenipra (2019SGR00734), Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA-UAB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Unitat Excelencia Maria de Maetzu MDM CEX2019-000940-M), 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain

    Marco Crestani, Laura Talens Peiró & Susana Toboso Chavero

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  1. Marco Crestani
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  2. Laura Talens Peiró
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  3. Susana Toboso Chavero
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Correspondence to Laura Talens Peiró .

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  1. Green Story Inc., Toronto, ON, Canada

    Subramanian Senthilkannan Muthu

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Crestani, M., Talens Peiró, L., Toboso Chavero, S. (2023). The Environmental Impact of Textiles and Clothing: A Regional and a Country Approach. In: Muthu, S.S. (eds) Progress on Life Cycle Assessment in Textiles and Clothing. Textile Science and Clothing Technology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9634-4_8

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