Sustainability Performance of an Italian Textile Product

Abstract

Companies are more and more interested in the improvement of sustainability performance of products, services and processes. For this reason, appropriate and suitable assessment tools supporting the transition to a green economy are highly necessary. Currently, there are a number of methods and approaches for assessing products' environmental impact and improving their performances; among these, the Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) approach has emerged as the most comprehensive and effective to achieve sustainability goals. Indeed, the LCT approach aims to reduce the use of resources and emissions to the environment associated with a product's life cycle. It can be used as well to improve socio-economic performance through the entire life cycle of a product. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) are undoubtedly the most relevant methodologies to support product-related decision-making activities for the extraction and processing of raw materials, manufacturing, distribution, use, reuse, maintenance, recycling and final disposal. While LCA is an internationally standardized tool (ISO 14040 2006), LCC (except for the ISO related to the building sector) and S-LCA have yet to attain international standardization (even if guidelines and general frameworks are available). The S-LCA is still in its experimental phase for many aspects of the methodological structure and practical implementation. This study presents the application of LCA and S-LCA to a textile product. The LCA and S-LCA are implemented following the ISO 14040-44:2006 and the guidelines from UNEP/SETAC (2009), respectively. The functional unit of the study is a cape knitted in a soft blend of wool and cashmere produced by a textile company located in Sicily (Italy). The system boundary of the study includes all phases from cradle-to-gate, from raw material production through fabric/accessory production to the manufacturing process of the product itself at the Sicilian Company. Background and foreground processes are taken into account using primary and secondary data. The analysis evaluates the environmental and social performances related to the specific textile product, but also outlines the general behaviour of the company. The case study also highlights pro and cons of a combined LCA and S-LCA to a textile product in a regional context.

Role of Domestic Financial Reforms and Internationalization of Non-Financial Transnational Firms: Evidence from the Chinese Market

“…Lenzo et al [13] identify that for firms, the key thing is to improve their sustainability performance and for this, they need supported financial settings, where they can have access to finance and they can make investments easily, so they can increase their resources and enhance their global and domestic market shares. Desbordes and Wei [14] highlight the importance of financial development in the shape of positive effect on expansion and greenfield of a financial system which stimulates the significant rise in foreign direct investment.…”

Exploring Social Sustainability Handprint—Part 1: Handprint and Life Cycle Thinking and Approaches

“…(2) limited influence of companies (often SMEs) on decision-making within the supply chain [89] Integration of (1) collection of good primary social sustainability information/data covering the whole supply chain and specific processes/locations (e.g., other countries) and ( 2) organizational/company influence on decision-making about social sustainability within the supply chain into assessment, development of indicators, and collection of information…”

A decision support system for sustainable textile product assessment

“…6 Textile products have complicated supply chains, as raw materials are sourced from all across Asia and Africa, sometimes in places where the International Labour Organization standards are relatively lax. 7 Due to the complexity of the industry, assessing environmental and social issues across a product's life cycle has proved difficult. 7 Textile and apparel manufacturers should communicate with consumers to gather information and feedback about the products and their negative impact on the environment.…”

“…7 Due to the complexity of the industry, assessing environmental and social issues across a product’s life cycle has proved difficult. 7 Textile and apparel manufacturers should communicate with consumers to gather information and feedback about the products and their negative impact on the environment. Despite the fact that many consumers reported that the environmental impact of textile products is important to them when making purchasing decisions, lack of sustainability awareness and poor labelling is a problem.…”