9 - Measuring the environmental impact of textiles in practice: calculating the product carbon footprint (PCF) and life cycle assessment (LCA) of particular textile products

Abstract

This chapter will focus on measuring the carbon footprint and various other environmental indicators of particular textile products using life cycle assessment methodology. As mentioned earlier, the carbon footprint is one of the most important environmental indicators to be measured in life cycle assessment methodology and, in consequence, will be given special emphasis in this chapter. This chapter will also discuss the important product categories covering the entire textiles supply chain, including cotton clothing, synthetic clothing, nonwoven products and technical textile products, with examples in each category discussed in detail.