Life cycle environmental impact assessment of cotton recycling and the benefits of a Take-Back system

This study assessed the contribution of mechanically recycled cotton to reducing environmental impacts of fabric production by blending the recycled cotton with 100% virgin cotton of different types, including the U.S., BCI-Brazilian, Global average, and China. GHG emissions, water footprint, air pollution, and land use were investigated for producing 1 kg fabric, considering a 'cradle-to-gate' approach. A 'Take-Back' system was modeled using the circular economy concept to illustrate potential impact reduction by avoiding virgin cotton. Impact reduction scenarios were created considering varying blending ratios (i.e., virgin/ recycled), focusing on 70% virgin and 30% recycled cotton (target). Results reveal that compared to the baseline impacts, the target scenario could reduce environmental impacts by 2.2-8.6% (GHG emissions), 0.6-24.5% (water footprint), 1.4-11.6% (air pollution), and 3.1-25.2% (land use). In summary, recycled cotton could partially substitute 100% virgin cotton for fabric production. Besides, implementing and scaling up the 'Take-Back' system could reduce environmental impacts and contribute to environmental sustainability.

Automated summary

This study assessed the contribution of mechanically recycled cotton to reducing environmental impacts in fabric production. It found that recycled cotton can partially substitute 100% virgin cotton and implementing a "Take-Back" system can reduce environmental impacts and contribute to environmental sustainability.