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Eco versus traditional denim: LCA analysis

standards and the detailed impact assessments offered change, water consumption, terrestrial acidification,
by the ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint (H) – provides a clear freshwater eutrophication, land use, FRS, and human
understanding of the environmental performance of toxicity. In accordance with ISO recommendations, no
denim manufacturing based on current literature. normalization or weighting was applied. The research
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This methodological integration not only facilitates framework for this study is illustrated in Figure 1.
comparison between eco-friendly and traditional Key aspects of the LCA methodology – including the
production techniques but also helps pinpoint targeted functional unit, system boundaries, life cycle inventory
areas for improvement. (LCI) data, and impact assessment – are described in
the subsequent sections, with a focus on study-specific
1.1. Research gap details.
Although many studies have examined environmental
LCAs in textile manufacturing, significant gaps remain, 2.1. Functional unit and system boundary
especially in comparing eco-friendly and traditional The functional unit is 1,000 pairs of denim trousers,
denim manufacturing in Bangladesh. First, despite the representing a typical production batch at the factory
application of ISO 14040/44 criteria and the ReCiPe scale. This upscaled unit captures the aggregated
2016 Midpoint (H) method in several studies, few environmental load with mass-producing jeans and
have combined these frameworks in a comprehensive, provides results relevant to industrial operations.
cradle-to-grave evaluation encompassing all life cycle Each pair of denim trousers is made of 100% cotton
stages. Rather than providing a holistic view that (approximately 610 g/pair, 3/1 twill, 380 g/m fabric).
2
connects upstream and downstream effects, current The S1 and S2 scenarios provide equivalent functional
research often focuses on specific life cycle phases. performance – 1,000 jeans with an estimated lifetime of
This fragmentation hampers the ability to fully assess approximately 200 wear-and-wash cycles per garment.
the systematic benefits of green innovations in denim The system boundary is cradle-to-grave (Figure 2),
production. encompassing all stages from raw material extraction to
Second, while there is extensive LCA research in end-of-life. These stages include:
developed nations, far fewer studies focus on developing • Raw material production: Cultivation of cotton
countries such as Bangladesh, where adopting eco- (mostly outside Bangladesh, with imports from
friendly manufacturing practices presents unique India and Pakistan) and the production of auxiliary
challenges. This gap is critical, as the environmental materials such as dyes, chemicals, and packaging.
performance of eco-friendly methods can vary • Textile manufacturing: Spinning of fiber into yarn,
significantly between developed and developing weaving, indigo dyeing, and finishing of the denim
contexts. In Bangladesh, where industrial practices are fabric.
evolving rapidly, comparative LCAs that reflect local • Garment manufacturing: Cutting, sewing, and
production conditions and resource constraints are assembly of jeans.
essential. Future research should therefore prioritize
context-specific investigations that go beyond merely Problem definition and research objectives
benchmarking environmental impacts. Instead, studies
should consider practical implications to better Goal and scope: Defining functional units and system boundaries
support the adoption of the LCA approach by textile LCI: Lisiting down primary and secondary data sources
manufacturers.
LCIA: ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint (H) assessment of seven environmental impact
2. Methodology categories
Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis by Monte Carlo simulations
This study followed the ISO 14040/44 guidelines and
employed a cradle-to-grave LCA to compare two denim Results and interpretation: Environmental impact comparisons
manufacturing scenarios in Bangladesh: A conventional Statistical analysis: Z-score normalization
traditional process (S1) and an eco-friendly process
(S2). The ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint (H) method, Suggesting practical implications for the industry
implemented in openLCA (openLCA: Version-2.1, Figure 1. Research framework of the study
manufacturer-GreenDelta, Country-Germany), was Abbreviations: LCI: Life cycle inventory;
used to evaluate seven impact categories: Climate LCIA: Life cycle impact assessment.

Volume 22 Issue 3 (2025) 75 doi: 10.36922/ajwep.6241