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Eco versus traditional denim: LCA analysis

conventional farming generates ammonia, all of which emissions of harmful substances – including heavy
contribute to acidification. S2 reduces both sources by metals, carcinogenic chemicals, and pesticide residues
shifting to renewable energy and eliminating synthetic – in terms of their potential harm to humans. The
fertilizers through organic farming, which also avoids traditional S1 scenario involves heavy use of synthetic
ammonia volatilization. As a result, S2 effectively halves pesticides and insecticides in cotton farming. In
the acidification impact, reducing environmental risks addition, chemicals used in S1’s dyeing and finishing
such as soil degradation and forest damage. (e.g., chromium-based dyes and formaldehyde-based
Eutrophication potential, which represents nutrient finishing resins) can contribute to toxicity if not fully
pollution in water bodies, is also notably reduced in captured or treated. In contrast, S2 eliminates toxic
S2: 4.5 kg phosphate-equivalents per 1,000 jeans versus agrochemicals using organic cotton and emphasizes
7.5 kg phosphate-equivalents in S1, reflecting a roughly eco-friendly processing practices. Hazardous chemicals
40% decrease. This improvement stems from reduced are replaced with eco-friendly alternatives – such as
fertilizer runoff and better wastewater management. biodegradable enzymes instead of toxic oxidizing agents
In S1, conventional cotton farming uses synthetic – and S2 facilities typically have better effluent treatment
fertilizers, leading to nitrogen and phosphorus runoff systems, reducing residual chemical discharges. As
into waterways, while factory discharges contribute a result, S2 cuts human-toxic emissions by half. In
additional nutrient loads, leading to freshwater regions such as Bangladesh, where mismanagement of
eutrophication. S2’s organic farming practices use industrial chemicals is a known concern, this reduction
manure or compost instead of synthetic fertilizers, could translate into meaningful improvements in public
which release nutrients more slowly and are less prone health. Beyond climate and resource benefits, S2 offers
to leaching. Moreover, S2 factories are likely to use significantly safer chemical management, reinforcing
more advanced effluent treatment and fewer harmful its value as a more sustainable alternative.
chemicals, reducing the chemical oxygen demand and Finally, the FRS indicator further highlights the
nutrient load of discharged water. Since the consumer energy transition benefits of S2. S1 depletes an estimated
use phase contributes minimally to eutrophication, the 5,600 kg of oil-equivalent of fossil resources per 1,000
gains in S2 are driven primarily by improvements in jeans, whereas S2 uses about 3,300 kg of oil-equivalent,
agriculture and manufacturing. a reduction of roughly 41%. This metric reflects all
The land use impact category presents a more crude oil, natural gas, and coal used throughout the
nuanced result. S2 requires slightly more agricultural life cycle. The manufacturing stages in S1 directly or
land area than S1 to produce the same quantity of indirectly burn significant fossil fuel: from the natural
cotton fiber, with an estimated 10% higher land gas in boilers and diesel in generators and trucks, to
occupation per 1,000 pairs of jeans. This is attributed petrochemical-based dyes and materials. S2 reduces
to typically lower yields of organic cotton due to the these dependencies through several pathways: Solar
usage of fertilizers and pesticides. However, this trade- energy partially offsets grid electricity, some process
off comes with qualitative environmental benefits. The heat is sourced from biomass or reduced through
land used in S2 is managed without toxic chemicals, efficiency, and overall energy consumption is lower.
supporting better soil health, biodiversity, and long- Consequently, S2 conserves about 2.3 tons of fossil
term productivity. Importantly, land use was the only resources per 1,000 jeans. This not only helps reduce
category in which S2 did not show improvement, and lower CO emissions but also eases pressure on finite
2
the magnitude of the difference was relatively minor. energy reserves – an important consideration for long-
Given the substantial gains in water use, climate impact, term sustainability. The result aligns with broader
and toxicity reduction, this slight increase in land use studies suggesting that renewable energy integration in
may be considered an acceptable trade-off. The overall apparel manufacturing can significantly reduce fossil
results reinforce that S2 delivers a strongly positive net resource dependency.
sustainability performance across multiple dimensions. Taken together, the comparative results show that
The HTP results underscore another important the S2 scenario consistently delivers environmental
benefit of the eco-friendly approach. S1 had a much improvements across the denim life cycle compared to the
higher toxicity score (1,200 kg 1,4-DCB-equivalents per S1 scenario. The only notable trade-off is a slight increase
1,000 jeans) compared to S2 (around 600 kg 1,4-DCB- in land use in S2. In all other categories, the S2 shows
equivalents), indicating a 50% reduction in potential substantial reductions, typically ranging from 30% to 60%.
human health risk. The HTP category aggregates the This indicates that implementing sustainable practices in

Volume 22 Issue 3 (2025) 81 doi: 10.36922/ajwep.6241