The Environmental Impacts of Cotton and Polyester Fabrics Manufacturing in Sri Lanka: A Lifecycle Approach

ABSTRACT This study investigates the environmental impacts of cotton and polyester fabric manufacturing, focusing on climate change, toxicity, and resource depletion. To achieve this, a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted using a cradle‐to‐gate approach, analyzing four fabric types: cotton fabric dyed with synthetic and hybrid dyes, and polyester fabric produced from virgin and recycled yarn. The IPCC GWP method was used to analyze the climate change impact, while toxicities and resource usage were assessed using the ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint (H) framework. Results indicate that cotton fabrics have higher environmental impacts compared to polyester. Cotton fabric dyed with synthetic dye emits 11.1 kg CO 2 eq per 1 kg of fabric, while hybrid dyeing emits 10.8 kg CO 2 eq. Cotton farming, contributing 8.13 kg CO 2 eq per kg fabric, is resource‐intensive. Polyester fabrics have lower climate change impacts, with virgin yarn emitting 8.95 kg CO 2 eq and recycled yarn emitting 5.82 kg CO 2 eq per kg. Toxicity impacts are also higher for cotton, with marine ecotoxicity for synthetic dyeing at 0.819 kg 1,4‐DCB and freshwater ecotoxicity at 0.849 kg 1,4‐DCB. For polyester, marine and freshwater ecotoxicities are significantly lower. The study concludes that polyester, particularly recycled polyester, is more sustainable than cotton in terms of climate change, toxicity, and resource usage.