{"id":58078,"date":"2026-03-26T13:53:45","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T13:53:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/textileexchange.org\/?post_type=reports&p=58078"},"modified":"2026-04-17T11:44:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T10:44:24","slug":"cotton-life-cycle-assessment","status":"publish","type":"reports","link":"https:\/\/textileexchange.org\/knowledge-center\/reports\/cotton-life-cycle-assessment\/","title":{"rendered":"Cotton Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Life Cycle Assessment for Cotton is part of Textile Exchange\u2019s series of LCA studies designed to improve the quality and robustness of environmental impact data for raw material production across the fashion, textile, and apparel industry.<\/h3>\n\n\n\t
\n\t\t\tDownload the full study<\/a>\n\t\tDownload the short summary<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat this LCA study covers\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA robust baseline\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The cotton LCA provides a robust baseline for the environmental impact of cotton production, covering cradle-to-gin-gate (from the farm to the point where lint leaves the cotton gin).<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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The study includes organic, regenerative, recycled, and country averages for conventional cotton production systems, providing a clearer picture of the associated environmental impact.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tData from nine countries\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The study includes data from Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Pakistan, Peru, Tanzania, T\u00fcrkiye, and the USA.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLCA+ approach\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Textile Exchange’s LCA+ approach expands the analysis by including qualitative assessments of impacts on soil health, biodiversity, and people.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKey takeaways\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The study’s findings offer insights into the key drivers shaping cotton’s environmental impact across different production systems and regions.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tField emissions are the primary driver of impact\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Environmental impacts associated with cotton cultivation are shaped by a set of systemic drivers that cut across impact categories. Field emissions related to the nitrogen balance are particularly influential for climate change and eutrophication modelling, while fertilizer production and use further condition results. Recommendations from the report include nitrogen management, reduction of surplus and losses, improved input-use performance, lower-emission fertilizer pathways, and yield-aware system improvement.<\/p>\n

Yield levels also act as a scaling parameter across categories because inventory flows are expressed per unit of output.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLCA+ approach captures broader impact areas and potential for long-term benefits\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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The LCA+ analysis indicated that practices associated with organic and regenerative systems can strengthen long-term soil resilience and reduce pressures on nature. However, more site-specific data is needed to fully understand these potential benefits.<\/p>\n

The study follows a non-comparative, attributional LCA approach. LCA results remain sensitive to assumptions and contextual factors; the results should be interpreted within their limitations, and simplistic rankings or claims based on these results should not be undertaken.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tImpacts vary significantly by region and system\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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The findings show that cotton\u2019s environmental impacts vary widely based on local growing conditions and practices, making region-specific data essential and reinforcing the need for targeted data collection partnerships with cotton organizations and on-the-ground stakeholders.<\/p>\n

Impact depends on how the whole cotton cultivation system is managed, with factors such as nitrogen-based fertilizer use, water for irrigation, and energy use all interacting rather than any single input or practice driving outcomes alone.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRecycled cotton impacts depend on energy and infrastructure\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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For recycled cotton, environmental impacts are dominated by electricity consumption and transport, meaning environmental performance depends on how, where, and with what energy and infrastructure recycling is carried out.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\t\n\n

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Download our short summary<\/h2>\n

This document summarizes the Textile Exchange cotton LCA study, detailing the study’s scope, key findings on cotton cultivation and recycled cotton, and insights derived from LCA+ methodology. It also presents the study’s conclusions and recommendations.<\/p>\n

Summary of findings<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t
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\u201cThis LCA study shows that cotton\u2019s environmental impact hinges on where it\u2019s grown and how it\u2019s managed in the field. By identifying the practices that matter most in different regions\u2014and highlighting the importance of knowing the origin and local production context\u2014this study enables brands to make more informed sourcing decisions and target impact reductions where they will be most effective.\u201d<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Debra Guo<\/strong>
Lead, Cotton and Crops
Textile Exchange<\/p>\n\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Integrating the data into global databases<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The cotton LCA data will be submitted to industry databases to support more accurate modeling and progress tracking of greenhouse gas emissions and other impacts. \u2028The data is primarily intended to serve as proxy data, in cases where source-specific LCA data is not available. It is designed to provide a credible, consistent foundation for understanding the impacts of cotton production and to inform data-driven decision-making. \u2028\u2028<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The data for the cotton LCA will be submitted throughout 2026 to the following databases:\u2028<\/p>\n\n\n\n