June 12, 2026 Polyester LCA study reveals climate and human rights impacts

A new polyester Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) from Textile Exchange highlights the human and environmental impacts behind the world’s most widely used fiber – and why sourcing decisions matter more than ever.

Textile Exchange has published a new Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study on polyester, the second in a series addressing gaps and limitations in existing LCA data for the fiber. The study includes what is believed to be the first publicly available data on the environmental impacts of virgin polyethylene terephthalate (PET) production from Southeast Asia, where more than half of the world’s virgin PET is produced. It also adds new data on thermomechanical and chemical recycling technologies and identifies impact hotspots across different production processes.

Following Textile Exchange’s “LCA+” approach, the study also includes an assessment of the human rights impacts associated with polyester production, alongside the environmental data.

Beth Jensen, Chief Impact Officer at Textile Exchange, says the study marks a significant update to existing polyester data:

“This LCA study marks a significant update to existing polyester LCA data and advances our understanding of the impacts of its production for the fashion, textile, and apparel industry. By addressing known data gaps across both virgin and recycled polyester, and by identifying major hotspot impact areas, these findings create a stronger foundation for making informed decisions that support the shift toward preferred production systems.”

Adam Gardiner, Recycled Lead at Textile Exchange, points to the scale of investment currently going into recycling technologies.

“There is significant industry investment and momentum behind the development of new technologies for textile-to-textile recycling. This LCA study provides both brands and recyclers with credible and up-to-date data on such systems, while identifying opportunities to reduce their impact.”

He adds that the study’s broader scope captures more than the recycling process itself.

“Traditionally, recycled production systems within the textile industry have focused primarily on the recycling plant itself. By taking an ‘LCA+’ approach, this study enables a greater understanding of the significant social impact and vast network that exists before the recycler. To design a successful lower impact recycling system, it needs to protect and support the livelihoods of all people throughout the value chain.”

Polyester production hotspots vary by method

The study finds that how polyester is produced strongly shapes its environmental footprint. For virgin polyester, the production of key petrochemicals – including monoethylene glycol, purified terephthalic acid, and dimethyl terephthalate – is the dominant contributor to most impact categories, along with the energy sources used for electricity and heat. For thermomechanical recycling, electricity use and the transport of feedstock over long distances stand out as major hotspots for climate change, acidification, eutrophication, and fossil fuel depletion. For chemical recycling, the largest hotspots are energy use and the input chemicals involved in the process, including solvents such as methanol.

Human rights impacts across the polyester supply chain

The study’s social assessment identifies serious impacts on workers and surrounding communities linked to polyester production, including unsafe working conditions, labor rights violations, and gender-based violence. It also documents violence by law enforcement against local communities connected to oil and gas extraction, as well as health impacts tied to spills and pollution. Recycling supply chains carry their own risks: both PET bottle collection and textile-to-textile recycling often rely on informal, poorly regulated networks, which can lead to further human rights concerns. At the same time, the study notes that textile-to-textile recycling holds potential to help address the industry’s textile waste problem.

LCA data will feed into industry-wide tools

The LCA study identifies virgin fossil-based inputs as the largest contributor to environmental impact in virgin PET production, reinforcing the case for reducing reliance on these inputs over time. The findings also point to complementary measures – such as increasing renewable energy use and sourcing recycling feedstock locally – as ways to further reduce impact, along with continued investment in collection, sorting, and recycling infrastructure. On the social side, the study calls for companies to look beyond labor rights alone and work toward full traceability of their polyester supply chains. The data will be submitted to industry databases, including Higg MSI, Ecoinvent, and WALDB, to support more accurate modeling and progress tracking across the industry.

Lead photo: Shanjir H | Photo4life AU on Unsplash