ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS OF TEXTILE PRODUCTS FOR ISO (TYPE III) ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATION

Abstract

Abstract The objective of this research project was to develop technical environmental indicators of textile products for ISO Type III environmental product declaration. The standardisation of an environmental declaration for products (Type III) currently under way in the ISO offers an interesting opportunity for communicating the environmental effects of products in a global and uniform manner. The research was conducted in co-operation between the Tampere University of Technology, the Federation of Finnish Textile and Clothing Industries and the more important Finnish textile producers and sellers. This paper examines the manufacturing processes of the selected textiles by using Life Cycle Inventory Analyses (LCI) of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method, and also compares the data available with the criteria for different environmental labels (EU eco-labelling and the Öko-Tex standard). As a result of this research project, a proposal is presented for the formulation of technical environmental indicators of different types of textile products, i.e., of essential environmental effects, to support the development of ISO Type III environmental declaration criteria.