Environmental Analysis of Polyester Fabric for Ticking

The manufacturing trend nowadays seems to be in contrast with the ecosystem needs, as it is based on the exploitation of limited natural resources. A new paradigm is now driving manufacturing in the direction of sustainability: the green and circular thinking. This latter can now guide SMEs in optimizing its processes and products to be more eco-friendly, and this in turn may lead to significant competitive advantages. The purpose of the study is to analyze the environmental lifecycle performance of a 100% PET fabric used for the outer cover of bed mattresses made by an Italian company, with looms of recent technology (2009-2010). The emissions defined in the community labeling system for textile products and mattresses have been taken into account as well as the mid and final impact categories established by the guidelines for the Product Environmental Footprint developed by European. Results show that the fiber and yarn production processes are the most impacted due to transport from China and the use of Chinese electricity grid mix (rich in coal). Furthermore, the disposal of fabric seems to be another environmental critical point. In order to evaluate the improvements in the environmental sustainability of supply of PET yarns and the disposal phase, a number of scenarios were analyzed, while a Monte Carlo simulation was performed to evaluate the sensitivity of the results respect to data uncertainty. The paper provides a number of recommendations for the textile sector, useful to assure sustainability of production and, thus, market competitiveness. Critical points useful to help companies to achieve environmental labeling are highlighted and new data about textile, not available in databases and literature, are provided due to the company’s engagement. Finally, hints on the best recycling process of the product are given.