Assessing environmental impacts of a textile company using life cycle assessment approach-a case study.

Abstract

The textile industry is known for its significant environmental impact, and as such, there is a growing need to assess the industry's production practices. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an effective tool for measuring the environmental impact of textile products from raw material production to end-of-life disposal. Surat city, known as textile hub of India, has multiple industrial clusters that play host to different elements of the textile value chain. This research aims to evaluate the environmental performance of a Surat-based textile company. The study involves the collection of data from textile manufacturing facilities, including gray cloth production and wet processes (gate-to-gate approach). The data collected has been analyzed using the GABI (9.2.1 version) software. The study provides potential environmental impact data on present textile technology and production situation. Significant hotspots have been determined throughout supply chain and the associated drivers identified. However, the industry's environmental impact can be reduced by practicing ecoefficiency, immaterialization, and recycling textile waste. This research highlights the importance of LCA in identifying the environmental impact of the textile industry and provides a basis for developing sustainable practices to minimize the industry's environmental impact.