Researchers find textile industry lacks environmental footprint data

The global textile industry cannot yet reliably collect or share detailed environmental data for individual garments, ERR reports, citing a study by Estonian researchers. A planned digital product passport could eventually show consumers how much water or energy was used to make a shirt or pair of trousers.

The study was conducted by researchers from the Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Centre, the Estonian Academy of Arts, the Estonian University of Life Sciences and the Estonian Business School, led by Harri Moora. They interviewed 14 textile manufacturers in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Türkiye.

Eleven of the 14 factories said environmental data was currently very difficult to obtain and standardise across their supply chains. Nine manufacturers also said they lacked the necessary software and sufficient cooperation with suppliers.

The researchers tested the process using the Estonian Olympic team’s uniforms for the Paris Olympic Games, designed by Reet Aus. They were able to calculate the environmental impact of a shirt made from production waste. The recycled shirt generated 92 percent less climate impact than a shirt made from new cotton, while its production used minimal amounts of water.

However, the team could not complete the assessment for the Olympic trousers. Even the producer of the raw material lacked enough information to determine the actual environmental footprint of the jeans, which were made from a new type of recycled fibre.

Researchers said the problem lies in fragmented supply chains. Garments are made through lengthy processes in which materials and information pass through multiple factories and countries. If there is a shortage of expertise or skills at the start of the chain to process information reliably, important data cannot be passed on.

The researchers published their findings in the journal Sustainability.