Wool Industry Releases First Full Wool LCA

Use Phase is key to sustainability of clothing, wool research finds.

The sustainability of our clothing is strongly influenced by the number of times it is worn and how long it is actively used,  new wool reasearch reveals.

By examining the full life cycle of a wool sweater, researchers found significant opportunities to reduce environmental impact by wearing clothes more often and keeping them longer.

Completing seven years of work, a team of researchers from Australia, New Zealand and Norway have published the first full wool life cycle assessment (LCA). The study analyses the life of a 300-gram wool sweater made from Australian wool, processed in China, and sold in the European Union.

What the study found: the number of times a garment is worn the most influential factor in determining impacts.  Practically speaking, this means that an item of clothing that is worn more often and is kept for longer has a less overall impact on the environment than one that is used fewer times and kept for a shorter amount of time. How so? Because the more times a t-shirt is worn, for example, the better the resources that went into that t-shirt are being used. The cost of making the t-shirt lessens as its number of uses wears increases and the length of time it is kept increases.

In addition, no substitute or replacement t-shirt is required. The same one is still being used. No more resources had to be consumed to make another t-shirt.

Thus, that item of clothing is more sustainable.

It’s how you use it

Many brands struggle to know which materials are best for the environment. Indeed, there are pros and cons to all. Often tools look only at comparing fibres on the basis of production and processing. Consequently, this leaves out what actually happens when the clothes are being used.

“Our work increasingly shows that comparing fibre types is not relevant,” says lead author of the LCA, Dr Stephen Wiedemann. “We won’t fully understand the true impact of an article of clothing unless we account for why the garment exists and how it is used.”

The first of its kind

Previously, little research looked at the full lifetime of wool garments. The majority of wool LCA studies focused on a single segment of the supply chain.

Seeking to address the knowledge gap, Australian Wool Innovation initiated this LCA research. AWI is a not-for-profit company that invests in R&D for the Australian wool. The Australian Government provides matching funding.

“This is one of the few published studies of a full supply chain for a garment, with detailed data behind it,” says Dr Wiedemann. “Of the major fibres, only cotton has also published such substantiated LCA work. None of the synthetics or cellulosic fibres have.”

Where wool can help improve

Washing and drying has a significant effect on sustainability. Wool naturally inhibits odour and can be aired, reducing the need to wash. Similarly, when washed, wool garments can be line-dried. This saves the energy needs to tumble dry.

The wool industry will build on the LCA research by looking further into wool garment care. Moreover, the industry will explore how to communicate best care practices to wool customers, to ensure best results.

Environmental impacts associated with the production, use, and end-of-life of a woollen garment,  by Wiedemann, Biggs  et al, was published 25 May 2020 in The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 

Learn more about wool’s sustainability in one of our Wool Fact Sheets.