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<p>The global textile industry contributes roughly 10% of total carbon emissions, positioning it as a key sector for climate mitigation. Although Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is commonly used to assess environmental impacts, it doesn’t fully capture the interaction between material selection and regional supply chain arrangements in determining carbon outcomes. This study addresses this gap through a comparative cradle-to-grave LCA of two commonly manufactured trouser types across three supply chain configurations: a globally distributed chain for organic cotton trousers, and two polyester-cotton blends with polyurethane (PU) trousers with production either fully in China or with assembly in Cambodia for the Japanese market. Unlike studies based solely on secondary data, this study employs primary data from OEM factories in China and Cambodia to reflect regional energy and logistics conditions. Impact categories of GWP, acidification potential (AP), land use (Biotic Production and Groundwater Regeneration) were assessed. Results show that organic cotton trousers have a higher carbon footprint (12.23&#xa0;kg CO₂e), they exhibit substantially greater land use impacts, with 99.68% (biotic) and 99.83% (groundwater) of land burden occurring at the raw material stage. The inclusion of recycled polyester (rPET) moderately reduces upstream energy and GHG emissions, although these benefits are partly offset by the energy required for recycling. Regional comparison reveals that differences in national electricity structures strongly influence total emissions, with coal-based grids yielding higher GWP. Overall, raw material acquisition remains the dominant contributor (43–45%) across all systems. These findings challenge simplified assumptions about material sustainability and highlight the importance of integrating cleaner energy and recycled materials into textile supply chains.</p>

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Comparative life cycle assessment of cotton and polyester-cotton blend with polyurethane garments: insights from real-world OEM data

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月12日

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  • Yina Xu,
  • Andrew Chapman

摘要

The global textile industry contributes roughly 10% of total carbon emissions, positioning it as a key sector for climate mitigation. Although Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is commonly used to assess environmental impacts, it doesn’t fully capture the interaction between material selection and regional supply chain arrangements in determining carbon outcomes. This study addresses this gap through a comparative cradle-to-grave LCA of two commonly manufactured trouser types across three supply chain configurations: a globally distributed chain for organic cotton trousers, and two polyester-cotton blends with polyurethane (PU) trousers with production either fully in China or with assembly in Cambodia for the Japanese market. Unlike studies based solely on secondary data, this study employs primary data from OEM factories in China and Cambodia to reflect regional energy and logistics conditions. Impact categories of GWP, acidification potential (AP), land use (Biotic Production and Groundwater Regeneration) were assessed. Results show that organic cotton trousers have a higher carbon footprint (12.23 kg CO₂e), they exhibit substantially greater land use impacts, with 99.68% (biotic) and 99.83% (groundwater) of land burden occurring at the raw material stage. The inclusion of recycled polyester (rPET) moderately reduces upstream energy and GHG emissions, although these benefits are partly offset by the energy required for recycling. Regional comparison reveals that differences in national electricity structures strongly influence total emissions, with coal-based grids yielding higher GWP. Overall, raw material acquisition remains the dominant contributor (43–45%) across all systems. These findings challenge simplified assumptions about material sustainability and highlight the importance of integrating cleaner energy and recycled materials into textile supply chains.