| Abstract [eng] |
The textile industry is one of the most impactful worldwide and there are numerous impacts during the value chain of clothing. One of the most significant ones is textile waste, which is mainly incinerated or landfilled. To tackle these and other challenges, the EU has developed the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, introducing specific design requirements for various products put in the European market and the concept of the Digital Product Passport as a tool to enhance traceability and sustainability. The extension of longevity in clothing is a critical approach to slow down material flows and decrease environmental impacts. This work focuses on analyzing Ecodesign, Circular Economy and Traceability strategies for longevity extension of garments through the value chain and tackling the found gap in the downstream traceability. To do so, first, a literature review is prepared about these topics; then, semi-structured interviews with KTU experts are done during March and April of 2025. After classifying the longevity main strategies according to the stakeholder and life cycle phase, an LCA is performed, using SimaPro 9.5 and the ReCiPe 2016 method, for one polyester dress (0.478 kg), showing the differences between the baseline, which includes raw materials extractions, manufacturing, distribution, first use, collection, sorting and incineration as EoL, and different scenarios with variations across the whole life cycle stages. Results show that one polyester dress made with fiber-to-fiber recycled PET, in a sustainable manufacturing process and with extended use by re-purchase in a C2C platform, can decrease the environmental impact by 68%. DPP is proposed to be an integral tool that can help track garments after purchase and gather more accurate data about the use phase, allowing more precise LCAs to identify unknown hotspots. Further research needs to be done around this topic to find the best strategies to ensure long-lasting garments without compromission quality and their environmental performance. |
