The environmental performance of upcycling: A comparative life cycle assessment in the apparel industry

To achieve a sustainable circular economy in the textile industry, the upcycling of post-consumer textiles is often recommended as a good solution. Yet, the actual environmental benefits of the upcycling processes remain to be further quantified. This study evaluates the environmental performance of the upcycling of discarded uniforms from Luxembourgish companies and institutions. Three upcycled accessories were selected for evaluation through the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, including 16 quantitative environmental indicators: (i) A hot-water bottle cover made from a fleece jacket; (ii) A laptop sleeve made from a pair of pants; (iii) A bike bag made from a high-visibility work jacket. These products are compared with three brand-new accessories of similar functionality made from primary materials. The study finds that the upcycling process has a substantially lower environmental impact across most categories compared to brand-new production. On average, upcycled accessories result in 87% fewer environmental impacts, with variations depending on the accessory and the specific impact category. Taking a closer look at climate change and water use indicators, avoided emissions reach up to 6.60 kg CO 2 eq. per kg of product for the laptop sleeve, and up to 1.92 m³ of water use per kg for the bike bag. The analysis highlights that the energy demand of upcycling (especially electricity use) is a key factor influencing the results, given that electricity consumption and the transport stage (from the uniforms collection point to the upcycling center) are the main input flows to the upcycling process. A sensitivity analysis confirms that the environmental advantage of upcycling decreases from 87% at the reference lifespan to 74% when considering 50% lifespan reduction and 35% when considering 80% lifespan reduction for upcycled products. While the hot-water bottle cover and bike bag maintain substantially lower impacts than brand-new production even under the most conservative scenario, the laptop sleeve – the most energy-intensive product – exceeds brand-new impacts on average at 80% lifespan reduction, highlighting the critical importance of product durability and electricity source in determining the net environmental benefit of upcycling. Beyond its environmental scope, this study contributes to the broader sustainability agenda by providing quantified, product-level evidence in support of circular economy policy instruments – including Extended Producer Responsibility schemes and green financial incentives – and by illustrating how community-based upcycling initiatives can simultaneously deliver environmental and social co-benefits, in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production.