ISO 14040 – Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for textiles

ISO 14040:2006 (“Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Principles and framework”) and its companion ISO 14044:2006 (requirements and guidelines) form the globally recognised framework for life cycle assessment. An LCA captures the potential environmental impacts of a product from cradle to grave — from raw material extraction through production and use to disposal or recycling.

The standard mandates four phases: (1) goal & scope — defining the functional unit and system boundaries; (2) life cycle inventory (LCI) — quantifying input/output flows such as energy, water, chemicals and emissions; (3) life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) — calculating environmental impacts such as climate change (CO₂-eq), acidification, eutrophication, water scarcity and eco-toxicity; (4) interpretation with sensitivity analysis and critical review. For the textile industry ISO 14040 is the methodological basis of the Higg MSI from Textile Exchange, of Environmental Product Declarations (EPD to ISO 14025), of the EU Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) and of the upcoming EU Digital Product Passport. Important: ISO 14040 is a framework standard, not a rating label — it prescribes how to calculate, not what counts as “green”. Only critical review by independent third parties ensures comparability.

• Base standard: ISO 14040:2006 (principles) + ISO 14044:2006 (requirements)
• Four phases: goal & scope → LCI → LCIA → interpretation
• Textile use: Higg MSI, EPD, PEF, foundation for EU DPP
• Limit: framework only, no ranking – critical review required