{"id":1715,"date":"2022-10-10T11:02:58","date_gmt":"2022-10-10T09:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/blogs\/beginners-guide-lca-apparel\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T10:31:43","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T10:31:43","slug":"beginners-guide-lca-apparel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/de\/blog\/beginners-guide-lca-apparel\/","title":{"rendered":"Beginners Guide: 6 Steps to Create Sustainable Apparel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extensive water use and- pollution, worker exploitation, microplastic, CO<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">emissions\u2026 The apparel industry has faced increasing criticism over the past years. Fashion is getting a bad name and customers demand \u201csustainable\u201d products.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>But making sustainable apparel products isn\u2019t easy.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What criticism should you focus on? What kind of impact do your products actually have on the environment? How do you transparently improve &amp; communicate your environmental efforts?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this beginner\u2019s guide, we show you how to start implementing sustainability in your product design. You\u2019ll learn:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018doing sustainable\u2019 <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for companies producing apparel &amp; textile products means.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to use the scientific method Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to calculate &amp; improve (lower) the environmental footprint of your products \u2013 in 6 steps.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>What Does \u2018doing sustainable\u2019 In Apparel &amp; Textiles Mean?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For companies, sustainability means going from mainly focusing on profit, to including care for people and the planet too (also called <\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.investopedia.com\/terms\/t\/triple-bottom-line.asp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the triple bottom line = people, planet, profit<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">P #1 = Here <\/span><b>\u2018people\u2019<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> refers to your social sustainability: resolving criticism the industry faces on working conditions and exploitation. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>P #2 = \u2018<b>Planet\u2019<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, refers to your environmental sustainability \u2013 which is where Ecochain comes in. As social sustainability isn\u2019t our expertise, <\/span><b>this article only discusses the environmental sustainability of products.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From an environmental perspective, the apparel industry causes harm on a <\/span><b>large*<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> scale. Emitting 1.2 billion tons CO<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-eq\/year of greenhouse gases, releasing pollutants into the environment, dumping wastes, and depleting water in water-scarce regions. Environmental harm desperately needs to be tackled.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How can we do that \u2013 effectively?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>* <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0In 2015, Fashion contributed more to climate change than international flights and maritime shipping combined. More than half of this impact is caused by the production of polyester alone. It is estimated that 20% of industrial water pollution worldwide comes from textile treatment. (Ellen McArthur, 2017).<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<h2><strong>The practical solution: Life Cycle Assessments (LCA)<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LCA is THE scientific method to measure the environmental impacts of products. It calculates the impact of every step in your product\u2019s lifecycle: from its production to waste. The results: 15+ impact outcomes (carbon footprint, water use, land use, etc).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, some of the most<\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/349836441_Sustainability_Assessment_in_The_Textile_and_Apparel_Industry_A_Review_of_Recent_Studies\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> important environmental impacts<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in apparel and textile are: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Climate change, Water depletion, and Eutrophication (depletion of oxygen from water-bodies through excessive algae growth stimulated by pollution).\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LCA analyses which material or process causes your biggest impact types. Showing you exactly where to <\/span><b>focus<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> your sustainability effort for <\/span><b>maximum impact reduction<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. For example, it shows which textiles cause the biggest impact in your production \u2013 or the exact impact of consumers using your products (washing, drying. etc.).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having 15+ environmental categories as footprint results, instead of solely your carbon footprint \u2013 allows you to reduce more types of impact. And prevents you from taking measures for e.g. climate change, whilst accidentally worsening other environmental impacts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-21491\" src=\"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Screenshot-2022-10-07-at-17.04.36.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1774px) 100vw, 1774px\" srcset=\"\" alt=\"How Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) works - Ecochain\" width=\"1774\" height=\"1148\" \/><figcaption>How Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) works \u2013 Ecochain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>Step 1: Define your goal\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><b>\u2013 Analyse your motivation: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You might want to conduct an LCA for several reasons:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prove environmental standards <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to customers, regulatory authorities, etc;<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Back up marketing claims or gain certification;<\/li>\n<li>Support strategic decisions to become a greener company;<\/li>\n<li>Design more sustainable products;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your goal might also include a specific manner of communicating your results (see step 6).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\u2013 Choose an LCA method specific to textiles: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are different LCA methods. However, for apparel and textiles, we recommend you use the European PEF method in combination with the Ecoinvent database (the PEF database can\u2019t be used yet). The PEF is an LCA standard that\u2019s still being developed, but will most likely become mandatory for apparel &amp; textiles in Europe in two years. That\u2019s why preparation is crucial. By using the PEF method now already, the switch to PEF LCAs for apparel and textile companies will be minor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\u2013 Choose what you want to measure:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Based on your goal, you can choose to assess a:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Product portfolio,\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Individual products.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>\u2013 Assign responsibility: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make the goal a project and assign <\/span><b>responsibility<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to someone who can invest the time as part of their work, e.g. a sustainability manager.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\u2013 Define your budget and timeframe<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Step 2: Check the rules &amp; Define your scope<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><b>\u2013 Check country-specific norms &amp; standards: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Norms and standards for conducting and communicating an LCA can differ between countries. Think about the country where your results will be published, and research if any rules need to be followed.\u00a0 (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read more on <\/span><\/i><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/blog\/life-cycle-assessment-lca-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LCA Standards<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the legal situation, section 4 in the link)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>\u2013 Choose an LCA Lifecycle Model: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Based on these rules and your goal, decide on the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/blog\/life-cycle-assessment-lca-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">scope<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (section 2 in link) of your assessment. The scope is about what phases in your product\u2019s lifecycle you chose to include- and exclude in your measurements. There are <\/span><b>3 Product Lifecycle Models<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> you can choose from (image 1).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the model \u2018cradle-to-gate\u2019 only assesses a product until it leaves the factory gates \u2013 before it is transported to the consumer. Whilst \u2018cradle to grave\u2019 analyses your footprint from production to waste. The wider your scope, the more insights you gain and the more improvement possibilities you can identify. But: the wider your scope, the more data you must collect.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"elementor elementor-24750\" data-elementor-type=\"section\" data-elementor-id=\"24750\">\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3eeb006 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3eeb006\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\"><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<h3><strong>Step 3: Collect the data<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This stage is all about <\/span><b>rolling up your sleeves.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>\u2013 Start data inventory: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start by mapping out which data you need and who holds it. Your goal is to create an <\/span><b>inventory<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the number of materials, energy, and direct emissions that are used or caused for your product (see image 2). While there are databases that help you fill the gaps, the more original, specific data you can gather from your supply chain the more accurate your results will be.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn more about <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/blog\/input-data-for-lca\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">data collection<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in LCA here.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>\u2013 Activate supplier engagement: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Therefore, make sure to bring your <\/span><b>most important suppliers <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on board (causing your impact hotspots); ask them for the data you need for your calculations. And ask them to monitor this data from now on, so it\u2019s up-to-date and at hand for future analyses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If suppliers can\u2019t deliver the data you need right away, make sure to set up a data collection project with them with a clear value proposition, steps, and timeline.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>\u2013 Involve a Data Specialist: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Involve a\/your internal data specialist to store all your environmental data securely and accessible. This puts data in place necessary for future LCA calculations. <\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2620\" src=\"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Ecochain_Infographic_ProductLifecycleStages.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 689px) 100vw, 689px\" srcset=\"\" alt=\"Ecochain_Infographic_ProductLifecycleStages\" width=\"689\" height=\"551\" \/><figcaption>Product Lifecycle Models \u2013 LCA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>Step 4: Calculate your impacts<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><b>\u2013 Classify your inventory data into categories:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In this step, we connect our inventory data from step 2 to corresponding emissions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These process and material-specific emissions (impact references) can be found in impact databases such as EcoInvent, Gabi, or openLCA (free database). Based on the LCA method (PEF)\u00a0 you\u2019ve chosen, these emissions are then connected to impact categories.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep in mind:<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> doing these calculations manually is a difficult and very time-consuming process.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/blog\/life-cycle-assessment-lca-guide\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read more about the steps in calculating your impact \u2013 in our LCA Beginners Guide under \u201cPhase 3: Life Cycle Assessment.\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>\u2013 Make your life easier \u2013 Use LCA software: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ecochain makes LCA accessible to <\/span><b>businesses. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Turning sustainability into a smooth and efficient ongoing process, without having to hire expensive consultants to do it for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Assess individual products with in-depth analysis, focusing on sustainable product design<\/li>\n<li>Evaluate your whole portfolio and manufacturing site footprint<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Step 5: Improve your products (and never stop)\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><b>\u2013 Analyse your impact hotspots:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The LCA shows you exactly where your product\u2019s environmental impact comes from. It gives you your so-called \u2018impact hotspots\u2019 (biggest chunks of impact) down to all processes, materials, and transportation used in your product\u2019s entire lifecycle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\u2013 Implement Ecodesign:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Your environmental data results show you exactly where your product\u2019s design can be approved \u2013 across its full lifecycle. A sustainable design approach called <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/blog\/ecodesign\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Ecodesign.<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>With Ecochain<\/em>, you can model design changes after you\u2019ve calculated your environmental footprint and compare and test different materials, designs, and products at any time. Turning sustainability into an ongoing process.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Inspire: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t forget to share the measures you\u2019re most proud of: inspire your industry! Until then, get inspiration from the measures that apparel companies <\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/customers\/saitex\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saitex<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/customers\/mud-jeans-saved-15-million-tons-of-co2\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MUD-Jeans<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> took based on their LCAs!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Step 6: Show off \u2013 transparently!<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><b>\u2013 Use your environmental data in communications: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Companies commonly have <\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/epub.jku.at\/obvulihs\/download\/pdf\/6263521?originalFilename=true\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">four <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reasons<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to communicate their sustainability efforts to customers:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Reporting: <\/b>For example, an Environmental Product Declaration (<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"font-size: revert; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\" href=\"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/blog\/environmental-product-declaration-epd-overview\/\">EPD<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) is a shorter form of reporting your LCA results. Even though EPDs are not common in the apparel industry, some tenders or upstream customers might ask you for this. Notice that standards may differ based on the country-specific verifiers (step 2)!\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Marketing: <\/b>An effective way is to compare your product to an average version of it. E.g. with regard to water- and climate impacts. Be careful to be transparent about the data sources of the values you use for comparison.<\/li>\n<li><b>Being mentioned in consumer guides<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Sporting Eco-labels: <\/b>Ecolabels in fashion are complex: Theoretically they\u2019re an asset, as consumers can quickly recognize if a product meets their values. Practically, there are many labels, all using different standards and methods, which is confusing for consumers. To solve this issue, the EU currently develops the Product Environmental Footprint method (<a style=\"font-size: revert; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\" href=\"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/blog\/product-environmental-footprint\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">PEF<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). The PEF creates an LCA standard for many different product categories. This makes products within the same category comparable. It\u2019s still open <\/span><a style=\"font-size: revert; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.makethelabelcount.org\/globalassets\/make-the-label-count\/documents\/EU-PEF-overview-new-labelling-proposal.pdf\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">in which form<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> this will lead to product labels and whether they will become mandatory. We will keep this guide updated on all relevant PEF updates.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>\u2013 ALWAYS be transparent:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> For all communication, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/blog\/lca-and-fashion\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">transparency<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the key to trust and preventing greenwashing.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, always clearly communicate the data you used in your LCA and the scope of your LCA.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\u2013 Never \u2018just\u2019 make comparisons:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> If you want to compare your product to another or \u2018average\u2019 product \u2013 always state:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> you made your comparison;<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Which data<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> you used to make the comparison (especially of the product you are comparing to).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Make an LCA yourself in Ecochain LCA automation software.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You now know the 6 steps to get started with LCA in apparel &amp; textiles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Practice conducting your first LCA with the 7-day free Ecochain trial. And use the T-shirt demo to get started!<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button aligncenter\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-background\" style=\"background-color: #072b49; color: #ffffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/mobius.ecochain.com\/signup\">START YOUR 7-DAY FREE ECOCHAIN TRIAL HERE<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-21716\" src=\"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Mobius_Laptop-mockup_Ecochain.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"elementor elementor-20546\" data-elementor-type=\"section\" data-elementor-id=\"20546\">\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-af70823 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"af70823\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-extended\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d1fd4e6\" data-id=\"d1fd4e6\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-80a8470 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"80a8470\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c7cde05 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"c7cde05\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Measure the impact of large product portfolios. Efficiently.<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Powered by Activity-based Footprinting<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7bf3ff0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7bf3ff0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"blog-button\" href=\"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/helix\/\">More about Ecochain<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0f48232\" data-id=\"0f48232\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f11a1ec elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"f11a1ec\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84813f1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"84813f1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Measure and design more sustainable products. Fast &amp; Easy\u200b<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Powererd by Object-based Footprinting<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6fa0ee0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6fa0ee0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"blog-button\" href=\"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/mobius\/\">More about Ecochain<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong><i>Sources:\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.investopedia.com\/terms\/t\/triple-bottom-line.asp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Investopedia (2022): What Is the Triple Bottom Line (TBL)?\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/349836441_Sustainability_Assessment_in_The_Textile_and_Apparel_Industry_A_Review_of_Recent_Studies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gbolarumi et al. (2021): Sustainability Assessment in The Textile and Apparel Industry: A Review of Recent Studies\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/epub.jku.at\/obvulihs\/download\/pdf\/6263521?originalFilename=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Christa Weikerstorfer (Master-thesis, 2021): Eco-labels in the fashion industry\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ellenmacarthurfoundation.org\/a-new-textiles-economy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Ellen MacArthur Foundation (report to download, 2017): A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion\u2019s Future (ellenmacarthurfoundation.org)<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Extensive water use and- pollution, worker exploitation, microplastic, CO2 emissions\u2026 The apparel industry has faced increasing criticism over the past years. Fashion is getting a bad name and customers demand \u201csustainable\u201d products.\u00a0 But making sustainable apparel products isn\u2019t easy.\u00a0 What criticism should you focus on? What kind of impact do your products actually have on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":1716,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[],"industries":[14],"use-cases":[21,24],"departments":[29],"class_list":["post-1715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-cycle-assessment-lca","industries-apparel","use-cases-lca","use-cases-sustainable-supply-chain","departments-sustainability"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Beginners Guide: 6 steps to create sustainable apparel (using LCA)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The scientific method Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) gives you the full environmental picture of your apparel products. 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