Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for the Textile and Fashion Industry

International fashion brands no longer ask suppliers only about labour conditions or factory environmental performance; they increasingly want environmental data for each product: a shirt, a metre of fabric. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is the standard method to produce this data.

1. What Is LCA in Textiles?

LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) assesses a product's environmental impacts across its life cycle, following ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. For apparel, it covers fibre production, spinning, weaving or knitting, dyeing and finishing, garment making, distribution, use (washing, drying) and end of life or recycling.

LCA covers several impacts, not just carbon: climate change, water use, water pollution (eutrophication), toxicity, land use and resource depletion.

LCA vs PCF vs EPD: What is the difference?

2. Why Brands Ask for Product LCA

• EU rules: in June 2025, the European Commission presented the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) for apparel and footwear, a common method to measure the environmental impact of clothing across the life cycle, supporting the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).

• France: from 1 October 2025, France launched environmental cost labelling for clothing. Participation is voluntary, but companies that display a score must use the official method, based on the PEF methodology.

• Brand reduction targets: most of a fashion brand's emissions sit in its supply chain, so brands need supplier data.

• Environmental claims: claims such as "eco-friendly" or "low carbon" need data based on a clear method.

3. Life Cycle Stages of a Garment

In many studies, material production and wet processing (dyeing, finishing) are major hotspots. However, results depend on fibre type, the factory's energy sources and how the product is used, so each case needs its own LCA.

4. What Data Should Textile Factories Prepare?

• Bill of materials per product: fabric type, weight, fibre composition, recycled content, trims, packaging.

• Energy: electricity, steam, boiler fuel (coal, biomass, oil, gas) – split by process where possible.

• Water and chemicals in dyeing and finishing.

• Fabric waste and how it is handled.

• Fabric and yarn supplier information: origin, processes and any environmental data.

• Production volumes to allocate factory data to products.

Much of this data overlaps with what factories already collect for Higg FEM. The difference is that Higg FEM assesses the facility, while LCA assesses each product.

5. Common Challenges

• Factories have only total electricity and steam data, not split by line or product.

• Missing data from upstream fabric and yarn suppliers.

• Each brand asks for different methods and formats.

• Default background data makes results less specific and hides a factory's improvements.

6. Conclusion

LCA helps textile factories respond to brands' product data requests and shows where to improve, such as boiler energy, dyeing technology or recycled content. Preparing product-level data early makes it easier to meet new EU and French requirements.

If you need support with LCA for textile products, see: LCA and EPD consulting

References

• European Commission – New EU rules for measuring the environmental impact of clothes and shoes (25 June 2025)

• French Ministry of Ecological Transition – Environmental cost labelling for clothing from 1 October 2025

• ISO 14040, ISO 14044