The role of geographical locations in the environmental impact of fibre-to-fibre textile recycling

The EU Commission has introduced a strategy for sustainable and circular textiles, including plans for eco-design specifications and promoting fibre-to-fibre recycling. Today, textile production is predominantly located outside Europe, with China being the top exporter of textiles worldwide. China's energy system is coal-based and has the highest CO2 emissions globally, while Europe relies more on renewable sources and nuclear power. The use of renewable or fossil energy sources in the recycling and manufacturing processes can affect the footprint of recycled fibres compared to the virgin ones. Through the application of the LCA methodology, this study evaluates the environmental impacts of mechanically recycling polyester fibres and manufacturing new textiles across different geographical locations. The innovative aspect lies in the comprehensive analysis of how the energy mix and transport distances in various regions significantly influence the carbon footprint of recycled versus virgin fibres, particularly comparing coal- based energy systems like China's with renewable-heavy systems like Sweden's. Indeed, a decrease in GWP ranging between 33 and 96 % from the benchmark can be observed according to different scenarios. The Swedish energy mix proves to bring environmental benefits even by using only virgin fibre in production, while the location of production processes in China leads to significant increases in impacts. These findings can inform "what-if" analyses regarding energy use and transportation impacts when assessing the environmental effects of a partially recycled polyester garment and provides critical insights into optimizing production locations to minimize environmental impacts, offering a pioneering perspective on sustainable textile production.