End of life phase

What happens to the garment after it has been (re)used and finally reaches its end of life. Indicate if a takeback scheme is in place and if recycling efforts are being done.

What you need to know

Environmental impact

The environmental footprint is calculated using the Circular Footprint Formula (CFF). This method allocates the environmental impact - both burdens and benefits - of recycling and incineration processes partly to the garment's lifecycle and partly to the lifecycle where the recycled materials will be reused.

This approach follows the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) guidelines from the European Commission. The CFF includes several parameters, with default values provided by the TCC developers based on fibre type.

Social impact

The social external cost is calculated using literature-based estimates for waste incineration and recycling. For incineration, the waste disposal sector in Germany serves as a proxy. For recycling, a global average is applied, considering the top fibre-producing countries for recycled materials. For synthetic fibres, the 'chemicals and man-made fibres' sector is used, while for natural fibres, the 'manufacture of textiles' sector is applied.