Environmental impact, economic and carbon footprint assessment of end-of-life PVC flex banners and its potential upcycling opportunities in the fashion industry

This article employs life cycle assessment (LCA) using openLCA software to compare the environmental and economic indicators of upcycled fashion accessories made from end-of-life polyvinyl chloride (PVC) flex banners with those made from conventional materials like nylon and polyester. Six bags were designed, produced from end-of-life PVC flex banners, and compared to nylon and polyester fabric bags. Data related to the manufacturing process of these bags, including material usage, transport, and production, were analysed for comparison. The LCA results revealed that upcycled bags made from end-of-life PVC flex banners are more environmentally friendly than their nylon and polyester counterparts. Out of the 16 environmental impact categories analysed in the study, U-PVC bags were shown to have a lower impact in 12 categories: 1) fossil depletion, 2) freshwater ecotoxicity, 3) freshwater eutrophication, 4) marine ecotoxicity, 5) marine eutrophication, 6) ozone depletion, 7) particulate matter formation, 8) photochemical oxidant formation, 9) terrestrial acidification, 10) terrestrial ecotoxicity, 11) urban land occupation, and 12) water depletion. Moreover, the carbon footprint of U-PVC bags was 574.89 kg CO_{2 eq}, which is lower than the carbon footprints of C-PA bags at 612.56 kg CO_{2 eq} and C-PES bags at 609.76 kg CO_{2 eq}. Additionally, the average manufacturing cost of U-PVC bags was £49.86, compared to £66.80 for C-PA bags and £67.09 for C-PES bags. This indicates that U-PVC bags are not only more environmentally sustainable but also more economical compared to C-PA and C-PES bags. Our research highlights the potential to upcycle end-of-life PVC flex banners into shoulder backpack bags, demonstrating the viability of PVC upcycling to reduce environmental impact.