Breakfast session Life cycle assessment (LCA) for sustainable developments in the textile industry

Growing concerns over climate change, resource depletion, and global pollution have heightened the need to quantify the environmental footprint of products and services. The underlying principle is that effective management depends on accurate measurement. To meet this need, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is employed. LCA isa widely recognized method for calculating the potential environmental impacts of a product, process, or service throughout its entire life cycle. The basic principles of LCA along with specific examples in the field of textiles and bio-based processes will be the focus of this breakfast session.

PROGRAMME

• Basic principles of LCA illustrated with examples from the textile and plastics industry

LCA is a vital tool for the quantification of environmental impacts associated with a product, process or service. Even though the term LCA is now well established, the exact content of methodology and its possibilities are often unknown. LCA is much more than CO2 emissions and global warming: it considers a wide range of environmental impacts and forms the basis for standards such as the EPD and the PEF.
Jun Yin, Centexbel

• Introduction to the PEF (Product Environmental Footprint), with a focus on its use for textile applications

The Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) is an LCA-based methodology developed by the European Commission. The method is still in a transitional phase, which is expected to end in 2024. The aim of the PEF is to provide a standardized approach, ensuring every product is measured against consistent, EU-wide criteria. This is done by providing meticulous guidelines for modelling, calculating, and reporting of environmental impacts.
Sofie Huysman, Centexbel

• The Aligned project: harmonisation of LCA metrics for the assessment of bio-based processes in five sectors, among which the textile and biochemical industry

The ALIGNED project (https://alignedproject.eu/) aims to improve the environmental sustainability of five industrial bio-based sectors - construction, woodworking, textiles, pulp and paper, and bio-based chemicals - by developing LCA models as measurement tools for this sustainability and harmonizing the application of these tools across these industries. (Title and description subject to modifications).
Philippe Nimmegeers, Antwerp University

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

• Date: October 15th, 2024 – 9:00 - 11:00
• A breakfast will be provided for each participant
• Place: Centexbel Zwijnaarde
• Fees: Centexbel members: 150 euro / Other participants: 180 euro (excl. TVA)