Value Extraction from End-of-Life Textile Products in Pakistan

Overconsumption and unplanned disposal of garments result in millions of tons of textile products going to landfills. Understanding the environmental benefits and impact of various recycling options is crucial for integrating recycling into the apparel waste stream. This study aims to assess the environmental impacts of products made from post-consumer textile waste fibers, highlighting the importance of closed-loop textile supply chains in developing countries. Using Open LCA software, the cradle-to-gate approach for life cycle assessment is used to calculate the environmental impacts of post-consumer textile waste, virgin cotton, virgin polyester fibers, and their blends in two different scenarios. The life cycle inventory data for functional units (1000 kg apparel) has been collected from the industrial units and the Ecoinvent v3.0 database. The results of 16 environmental impact categories are computed, showing that textile products made from virgin cotton fiber have 60% more global warming potential than those made from post-consumer textile waste fibers. Hence, the environmental impact of textile products can be controlled by recycling them. Consumption of post-consumer textile waste fiber is the key to reducing the new material needs in the textile supply chain. The closed-loop apparel supply chain can help developing countries generate maximum financial value with minimal environmental damage. In developing countries, value extraction from post-consumer textile waste recycling is essential to meet international consumer demands for cleaner production.