Linear, reuse or recycling? : An environmental comparison of different life cycle options for cotton roller towels
| Autor: | Kiia M. Mölsä, Susanna Horn, Helena Dahlbo, Marja Rissanen |
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| Přispěvatelé: | Suomen ympäristökeskus, The Finnish Environment Institute |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2022 |
| Předmět: |
vedenkulutus
elinkaarianalyysi puuvilla kestävä kehitys Renewable Energy Sustainability and the Environment Strategy and Management pyyhkeet circular economy Building and Construction environmental impacts ilmastonmuutokset uudelleenkäyttö cotton roller towel Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering textiles life cycle assessment ympäristövaikutukset kiertotalous tekstiilit General Environmental Science |
| Popis: | The environmental impacts of current, predominantly linear, life cycles of textiles are widespread and substantial. Although applying circular economy (CE) approaches offers the potential to support the transition to more sustainable textile value chains, there is a lack of empirical evidence supporting the choice of individual CE strategies for different types of textiles. The aim of this paper is to study and compare the environmental impacts of introducing different CE strategies (reuse, recycle) into the life cycle of cotton roller towels in terms of climate change impact and water consumption. According to the results, a linear life cycle of a cotton roller towel causes a climate change impact of 12.4 g CO2e/hand-drying and water consumption of 2.4 l/hand-drying. Combining different CE strategies (reuse and recycling), the roller towel's impacts could be reduced to as low as 8.9 g CO2e and 0.5 l water/hand-drying. The results indicate that the key to reducing the climate change impacts and water consumption of the towel is the increase of use times of the product, but the impacts are more ambiguous for recycling. The benefits of recycling, and even the prioritization between different CE strategies depends on the type of recycling technology and substituted material. For gaining clearer benefits from CE of cotton roller towels or any cotton textiles, there is a further need for technology development and support for selecting the correct strategies and processes. Highlights • Cotton towels can gain dissimilar water and climate benefits from circular strategies. • Reuse offers clear climate and water benefits compared to a linear life cycle. • Impact of chemical textile recycling varies with process and product substituted. • For increased recycling benefits, technologies need development and careful selection. • Reuse and recycling can be combined for maximum benefit. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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