3.4.3 Environmental Dimensions

Environmental dimensions may include climate and energy use, water consumption and pollution, biodiversity and land use, raw-material sourcing, hazardous chemicals, microfibre release, production waste, textile waste and end-of-life impacts. Their relevance varies across fibre production, processing, dyeing and finishing, manufacturing, distribution, use and end-of-life.

These issues should be considered across the lifecycle. An intervention that improves one indicator or stage may create additional impacts elsewhere — for example through higher energy demand, reduced durability or more difficult recovery. Circular design therefore requires decisions to be assessed in context rather than assuming that a single material or strategy is inherently “better”.

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