This study presents the first cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) of T-shirt production using viscose and Lyocell fibers, benchmarked against cotton and polyester under consistent system boundaries. The analysis covers spinning, knitting, wet processing, garment assembly, and regionalized energy supply. Results show that cotton T-shirts exhibit the lowest global warming potential (14.1 kg CO2eq/kg) but the highest water demand (2.9 m3/kg) in China. Polyester garments, although less water-intensive, contribute significantly to plastic accumulation (1.0 kg/kg shirt) compared to cellulose-based fibers (0.1 kg/kg shirt). Within man-made cellulose fibers, Lyocell generally outperforms viscose in toxicity-related categories—reducing freshwater ecotoxicity by 35% and human non-carcinogenic toxicity by 62%—thanks to its closed-loop solvent recovery. However, Lyocell also shows the highest carbon footprint (21.6 kg CO2eq/kg) unless produced in regions with cleaner energy mixes. Regional sensitivity analysis indicates that shifting production from China to Brazil could reduce global warming impacts by up to 38%. Overall, these results highlight the trade-offs across fiber types and demonstrate the importance of both material choice and production geography in driving sustainability within textile supply chains.
Forfora et al. (Mon,) studied this question.