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Why Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is Essential for Fashion Sustainability

by
Akhil
|
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Green Marketing

‍Introduction: The Growing Pressure on Fashion for Real Sustainability

With the surge in sustainability regulations, greenwashing lawsuits, and the mounting pressure from conscious consumers and investors, fashion brands are at a crossroads. The traditional ways of doing business are rapidly becoming obsolete, replaced by a pressing need to demonstrate real, measurable environmental responsibility. At Green Story, we believe that Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the most effective scientific tool to help brands achieve this. It offers a comprehensive approach to measuring and managing the environmental impact of products throughout their entire lifecycle.

Why LCA is the Missing Piece of the Sustainability Puzzle

Today, approximately 80% of a company’s greenhouse gas emissions originate from its supply chain — a staggering figure that doesn't even account for the broader impacts on air and water quality, soil health, or biodiversity. For fashion brands, the imperative is clear: take responsibility for these impacts, understand where they occur, and implement strategies to reduce them. LCA provides the critical framework needed to accomplish this, offering both transparency and actionable insights.

Beyond compliance and reputation management, there is a strong business case for LCA. By identifying inefficiencies and hotspots within the supply chain, companies can not only reduce their environmental footprint but also achieve cost savings and lower their dependence on finite resources. In short, LCA is not just a necessity for sustainability — it’s a strategic tool for business growth.

Understanding the Basics of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a rigorous scientific methodology used to evaluate the environmental impact of a product across its entire lifecycle — from raw material extraction to production, distribution, use, and end-of-life disposal. At Green Story, we emphasize a holistic approach to LCA that covers all critical stages and impact areas. This comprehensive analysis allows brands to gain a clear understanding of their environmental footprint, identify hotspots, and implement targeted strategies for improvement.

What Makes a Comprehensive LCA?

  1. Data Collection and Mapping:
  • LCA begins with gathering data at both the product and process levels. This involves primary data (direct data from the company and its suppliers) and secondary data (industry-wide datasets). For example, we start by collecting data on material sourcing, energy consumption, water use, waste generation, and emissions across the supply chain.
  • To ensure accuracy, our approach at Green Story focuses on obtaining high-quality primary data whenever possible, supplemented by reliable secondary data. We believe that data quality is crucial for generating meaningful insights.
  1. Defining Boundaries and Scope:
  • A comprehensive LCA should ideally encompass all stages of a product's lifecycle — from "fiber to factory" and "dying to disposal." However, given the complexities of fashion supply chains, setting boundaries is often necessary.
  • Brands must decide which stages and impact categories are most relevant to their goals. For instance, an LCA might focus on the carbon footprint (CO₂-equivalent) and water usage of a garment from production to point of sale, leaving out consumer use-phase impacts like washing and drying. At Green Story, we help brands determine the most critical boundaries and scope based on their sustainability objectives.
  1. Impact Categories and Metrics:
  • LCAs can cover a wide range of impact categories, including carbon emissions, water footprint, ecotoxicity, and ozone depletion. Choosing which categories to include depends on a brand's specific sustainability priorities and the availability of data.
  • Our advanced calculation engine at Green Story provides a multimeric impact analysis, delivering insights across various metrics such as energy use, water scarcity, and biodiversity impacts. This approach ensures that brands understand not just their carbon footprint but their overall environmental impact.
  1. Actionable Insights and KPI Generation:
  • The LCA process culminates in generating Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each impact metric and production process involved. These KPIs help brands pinpoint "hotspots" — areas in the supply chain with the most significant environmental impact — and develop targeted strategies for improvement.
  • At Green Story, we make these insights easily accessible and actionable, allowing brands to quickly understand where they can make the most substantial impact. This data-driven approach is crucial for setting realistic and ambitious sustainability goals.

Why LCA is the Gold Standard for Fashion Brands

  1. A Tool for Credibility in a Market Demanding Accountability:
  • With increasing scrutiny from regulators and consumers alike, having robust LCA data helps brands substantiate their sustainability claims. It’s the best defense against accusations of greenwashing and a powerful tool for building trust with stakeholders. In a market where 52% of consumers have encountered false or misleading sustainability information (Kantar, 2023), credible data is more valuable than ever.
  1. Aligning with Regulatory Compliance and Market Expectations:
  • As regulatory bodies around the world enforce stricter environmental and social standards, LCA helps brands stay ahead of the curve. Whether it’s meeting the requirements of the European Union’s Green Deal or complying with new transparency laws in the US, an LCA provides the necessary data framework to ensure compliance.
  • Furthermore, as brands set their own ambitious sustainability targets, such as achieving net-zero emissions by 2030, LCA provides a clear roadmap for achieving these goals.
  1. Driving Cost Savings and Operational Efficiency:
  • Identifying inefficiencies in the supply chain through LCA can lead to significant cost savings. For example, reducing energy or water use in production not only lowers a brand's environmental footprint but also cuts operational costs. At Green Story, we’ve seen our clients achieve up to a 30% reduction in energy costs by identifying and mitigating inefficiencies revealed through LCA.
  1. Supporting Sustainable Product Development:
  • LCA enables brands to make informed decisions about materials and processes, promoting the development of more sustainable products. For example, an LCA might reveal that switching from conventional to organic cotton can significantly reduce water use and pesticide impacts. Armed with this knowledge, brands can adjust their sourcing strategies to align with sustainability goals.

Real-World Application: How Green Story Helps Brands Implement LCA

Our partnership with Sapphire Mills, a leading supplier in Pakistan, illustrates how LCA can transform sustainability efforts. Sapphire Mills faced increasing pressure from their brand clients to provide verified sustainability data. By collaborating with Green Story, they implemented a comprehensive LCA to assess their products' environmental impacts from raw material sourcing to final delivery.

Using our LCA tools, Sapphire Mills collected detailed data on water usage, energy consumption, and carbon emissions. The insights generated were integrated into digital product passports, allowing their clients to showcase real-time sustainability information to end consumers. This not only helped Sapphire Mills enhance transparency and build trust but also enabled them to identify areas for improvement, such as optimizing water use in their dyeing processes and shifting to renewable energy sources.

Getting Started with LCA: Key Steps for Fashion Brands

  1. Understand Your Objectives:
  • Determine what you want to achieve with your LCA. Is it to reduce carbon emissions, comply with regulations, or build consumer trust? Knowing your goals will help define the scope and boundaries of your assessment.
  1. Gather High-Quality Data:
  • Work closely with suppliers to collect primary data wherever possible. At Green Story, we facilitate this process by providing tools and training for suppliers, ensuring data quality and consistency.
  1. Use a Robust LCA Tool:
  • Choose a reliable LCA tool that offers comprehensive coverage of impact categories and generates actionable insights. Our LCA tools at Green Story are designed to be user-friendly, data-rich, and aligned with the latest industry standards.
  1. Implement and Monitor Improvements:
  • Use the insights gained from your LCA to develop strategies for reducing your environmental footprint. Regularly monitor progress and update your LCA as needed to ensure continuous improvement.

Conclusion: LCA is More Than Just a Tool — It’s a Strategy for Success

As the fashion industry moves toward a more sustainable future, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is proving to be the gold standard for measuring, managing, and communicating environmental impact. At Green Story, we empower fashion brands to use LCA not just as a compliance tool, but as a strategic asset for growth, innovation, and market differentiation.

Ready to integrate LCA into your sustainability strategy? Contact Green Story today to learn how we can help you take the next step toward a greener future.

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