Evaluating potential social risks in fiber-to-fiber textile recycling through site-specific and generic social life cycle assessment

We evaluated social risks in an EU-based fiber-to-fiber (FTF) recycling system using two social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) perspectives: a site-specific assessment of organizations involved in textile waste collection, sorting, recycling, and yarn spinning, and a generic assessment using the PSILCA database to contextualize risks within the broader clothing life cycle, from raw material cultivation and garment production to use and recycling. We used a reference-scale approach based on performance reference points to distinguish below-compliance, compliance, and above-compliance performance in the site-specific assessment to evaluate social performance. Within the site-specific S-LCA, 12 of 43 indicators showed below-compliance results for at least one organization. These were related to workers, local community, and society stakeholders with social issues related to working time, health and safety, social benefits, community living conditions, technology development, and corruption and reflecting specific areas within the assessed organizations that require closer attention. Organizations also reported potential shifts in skills, increased automation, and job creation in recycling, highlighting the need for better coordination across value chains, design for recycling, and regional funding. The generic assessment showed higher risks in upstream cotton cultivation, yarn, and garment manufacturing compared to EU-based recycling, while also showing how risks are distributed across the modeled garment life cycle. Results varied by activity and country–sector contexts in PSILCA. Despite data limitations, cross-scale interpretation challenges, and sensitivity to proxy selection, presenting organization-level assessment alongside broader life cycle risks demonstrates the complementary value of site-specific and generic S-LCA and the role of S-LCA in assessing circular transitions.