Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Evaluation of Sustainability in Textile Industry

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Sustainability in the Textile Industry

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

Abstract

Sustainability and its assessment are highly critical to industries, governments and even to customers. Every industrial sector, company, individual and even government and different nations have sustainability goals and commitments. It is inevitable to measure the level of sustainability achievement by all these above-mentioned players and for this, a tool to assess sustainability is highly desirable. Assessment of sustainability is an important topic in any field. Choosing a right tool to suit the needs of different players in the field of sustainability is very much crucial. As mentioned in earlier chapter, sustainability focuses on three major elements namely environmental, economic and social aspects and any assessment technique needs to focus on this triple-line thinking. Sustainability can be assessed for a product/process, project and also for a sector and a country. Assessment tools are classified by various ways. Various authors have classified these tools in various ways according to the ruler/scale/method. Not all tools can be used for textiles and clothing supply chain, and some of the tools are highly evident to assess the sustainability of textile products. This chapter deals with various sustainability tools and their implications in textile industry.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Recommendations for Further Study

  • Atkinson GD, Dubourg R, Hamilton K, Munasignhe M, Pearce DW, Young C (1997) Measuring sustainable development: macroeconomics and the environment. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham

    Google Scholar 

  • BogenstGatter U (2000) Prediction and optimisation of life-cycle costs in early design. Build Res Inf 28(5/6):376–386

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bohringer C, Jochem PEP (2007) Measuring the immeasurable—a survey of sustainability indices. Ecol Econ 63:1–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bossel H (1999) Indicators for sustainable development: theory, method, applications. A report to the Balaton Group. IISD, Canada

    Google Scholar 

  • Dreyer L, Hauschild M, Schierbeck J (2006) A framework for social life cycle impact assessment. Int J Life Cycle Assess 11(2):88–97

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hermann BG, Kroeze C, Jawjit W (2007) Assessing environmental performance by combining life cycle assessment, multi-criteria analysis and environmental performance indicators. J Clean Prod 15:1787–1796

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jørgensen A (2013) Social LCA-a way ahead? Int J Life Cycle Assess 18:296–299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norris GR (2006) Social impacts in product life cycles-towards life cycle attribute assessment. Int J Life Cycle Assess 11(1)(Special Issue):97–104

    Google Scholar 

  • Warren JL, Weitz KA (1994) Development of an integrated life-cycle cost assessment model. IEEE, New York, pp 155–163

    Google Scholar 

  • Weidema BP (2006) The integration of economic and social aspects in life cycle impact assessment. Int J Life Cycle Assess 11(1)(Special Issue):89–96 (CrossRef)

    Google Scholar 

References

  • Australian Standard AS/NZS 4536:1999, Life Cycle Costing: An Application Guide, Reconfirmed on 2014

    Google Scholar 

  • Bebbington J, Brown J, Frame B (2007) Accounting technologies and sustainability assessment models. Ecol Econ 61:224–236

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CSD (2001) Indicators of sustainable development: guidelines and methodologies. Commission on Sustainable Development, New York, USA. http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/natlinfo/indicators/indisd/indisd-mg2001.pdf

  • EPA (1993) Life cycle design guidance manual: environmental requirements and product system. EPA-600-R-92-226, 1993, pp 122–129

    Google Scholar 

  • Finkbeiner M, Schau EM, Lehmann A, Traverso M (2010) Towards life cycle sustainability assessment. Sustainability 2(10):3309–3322. Open access doi:10.3390/su2103309

  • Gasparatosa A, Scolobig A (2012) Choosing the most appropriate sustainability assessment tool. Ecol Econ 80:1–7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henn CL (1993) The new economics of life cycle thinking. IEEE, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • ISO 14040 (2006) Environmental management—life cycle assessment—principles and framework

    Google Scholar 

  • Klöpffer W (2008) Life cycle sustainability assessment of products. Int J Life Cycle Assess 13(2):89–95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Life Cycle Analysis, obtained from: http://www.gdrc.org/sustdev/concepts/17-lca.html. Accessed 10 Aug 2015

  • Life Cycle Costing, Better Practice Guide, Australian National Audit Office, December 2011, Obtained from: http://www.anao.gov.au/uploads/documents/Life_Cycle_Costing.pdf

  • Life Cycle Costing—Fact Sheet, European Commission Green Public Procurement (GPP) Training Toolkit—Module 1: Managing GPP Implementation, Toolkit developed for the European Commission by ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability, 2008, European Commission, DG Environment-G2, B-1049, Bruxelles

    Google Scholar 

  • Mungcharoen T (2013) Approach on Life Cycle Costing and Benefits, Regional Workshop: Green Public Procurement and Eco-labeling, 1 May 2013 at Phuket, Thailand Organized by PCD, GIZ in collaboration with TEI, FTI, TGO & UNEP. http://www.thai-german-cooperation.info/download/201305_ecolabel_1530_thamrongrut_LCC.pdf

  • Muthu SS (2014) Assessing the environmental impact of textiles and the clothing supply chain, 1st edn. Woodhead Publishing (March 2014)

    Google Scholar 

  • Muthu SS (2015a) Handbook of life cycle assessment (LCA) of textiles and clothing, 1st edn. Woodhead Publishing (July 2015)

    Google Scholar 

  • Muthu SS (2015b) Social life cycle assessment—an insight. Springer Science+Business Media Singapore

    Google Scholar 

  • Ness B, Urbel Piirsalu E, Anderberg S, Olsson L (2007) Categorising tools FOS sustainability assessment. Ecol Econ 60:498–508

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Publications of the European Platform of LCA Including the ILCD Handbook; European Commission: Brussels, Belgium, 2010. http://lct.jrc.ec.europa.eu/publications

  • Rorarius J (2007) Existing assessment tools and indicators: building up sustainability assessment. Some perspectives and future applications for Finland. Finland’s Ministry of Environment, Report

    Google Scholar 

  • Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA), Life Cycle Initiative, obtained from: http://www.lifecycleinitiative.org/starting-life-cycle-thinking/life-cycle-approaches/social-lca/

  • Spitzer M, Elwood H (1995) An introduction to environmental accounting as a business management tool: key concepts and terms. EPA, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Spitzer M, Pojasek R, Robertaccio F, Nelson J (1993) Accounting and capital budgeting for pollution prevention. United States Environmental Protection Agency. In: The engineering foundation conference, 24–29 Jan 1993, San Diego, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Å treimikienÄ— D, Girdzijauskas S, StoÅ¡kus L (2009) Sustainability assessment methods and their application to harmonization of policies and sustainability monitoring. Environ Res Eng Manag 2(48):51–62

    Google Scholar 

  • UNEP Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment of Products. Accessed from http://www.unep.org/pdf/DTIE_PDFS/DTIx1164xPA-guidelines_sLCA.pdf

  • UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative (2011) Towards a Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment: Making informed choices on products. ISBN: 978-92-807-3175-0

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. SGS Hong Kong Limited, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong

    Subramanian Senthilkannan Muthu

Authors
  1. Subramanian Senthilkannan Muthu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Subramanian Senthilkannan Muthu .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. SGS Hong Kong Limited, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Subramanian Senthilkannan Muthu

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Muthu, S.S. (2017). Evaluation of Sustainability in Textile Industry. In: Muthu, S. (eds) Sustainability in the Textile Industry. Textile Science and Clothing Technology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2639-3_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2639-3_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-2638-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-2639-3

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation