Environmental impacts of textiles in the use stage: A systematic review

Textiles with high global demand and consumption are a necessity in people's daily lives, and assessing and reducing the environmental impact of their use stage can make a significant positive contribution to the planet. However, current studies that incorporate textile use stages into system boundaries have yielded highly variable results, both in terms of absolute and relative impacts. The root causes of these discrepancies deserve in-depth investigation. In this context, we conducted an up-to-date descriptive and critical literature review to explore the inconsistencies between studies through a detailed analysis and discussion of current practices in use stage modeling and the final assessment results. A two-step search of the Web of Science database was thus conducted, resulting in a sample of 74 records, including 53 quantitative studies and 21 qualitative or semi-quantitative studies. Inconsistent functional units, non-uniform system boundaries, inaccurate data inventories, and impractical quantification methods were the key issues identified in the reviewed articles that led to large variability between the results of different studies and their inability to be compared with each other. Therefore, the optimization of the modeling methods for the use stage from these four aspects in order to establish a standardized methodological system is a priority for subsequent work. Some potential technical tools and theoretical methods, such as automated data acquisition, data mining, simulation techniques and modularity theory, etc., can be considered for future integration and application. In addition, the environmental performance of the use stage was found to be highly subject to consumer behavior and the uncertainties associated with it. Analysis of consumer behavioral characteristics and the mechanisms that shape their behavior based on behavioral science theories can support the development of effective interventions that contribute to the promotion of sustainable consumption of textiles and, ultimately, to the global improvement of environmental impacts caused by textile use and care.