Critical Review Sustainable Apparel CLSD

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a key tool for determining environmental impacts for textiles and apparel and is the basis for the publicly available Higg Material Sustainability Index (MSI) developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC). This study reviewed the Higg MSI with respect to rating of fabrics made from natural fibre types, with the aim of providing a constructive analysis of methodological issues identified by comparison with the International Standards and LCA guidelines. The study identifed seven key limitations of the Higg MSI and concluded that further development and refinement of the methodology is needed to ensure robust information is provided to improve the sustainability of textiles. It found that adherence to the appropriate standards and best practice in LCA would rectify most of these issues. A number of changes were made to the Higg MSI following the study's publication.