This report provides an analysis of the environmental and socio-economic hotspots along the entire textile value chain and looks at a range of associated impacts, as well as at how different stages in the value chain are dominant in different impacts. 

Wet processing (the bleaching/dyeing/finishing stage of textile production), synthetic fibre production, and laundering in the consumer use phase stand out as particularly important with respect to the impact on climate, while natural fibre production (cotton cultivation) and the consumer use phase stand out as particularly important with respect to the water scarcity impact. The use and release of hazardous chemicals in textile wet processing, leading to water pollution and impacting human health and ecosystems, further underlines the importance of this stage in the value chain. Microfibres are an environmental issue of increasing concern, with research continuing to shed light on their harmful effects on biodiversity, and potentially on human health as well. The release of microfibres is particularly associated with the use phase, which has been the focus of the majority of the research, but emerging evidence points to the importance of releases occurring across textile manufacturing and at textile end-of-life.

Moving towards sustainable and circular textiles will require a holistic approach and changes at each stage in the value chain, involving players of all sizes and from all market segments. New business models will have to be adopted on a widespread scale, the use of hazardous substances in textile processing will have to be eliminated, and resources will have to be used much more effectively, with a shift away from fossil fuels towards renewable sources of energy and materials. But most of all, textile utilisation will have to be optimised, including a longer service life and more post-use options, along with drastically improved recycling when materials reach their end-of-life.