**1.4 Life cycle assessment of textiles**

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies are conducted according to the standard ISO 14040 [18]. The standard specifies four phases of an LCA study: i) the Goal and scope, ii) the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI), iii) the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA), and iv) the Interpretation (including the Sensitivity Analysis). **Figure 2** presents graphically this approach, as well as some of the main applications:

The Goal and scope phase defines the aim of the study as well as its limitations. LCA studies may be conducted for various reasons, such as benchmarking for different products, identifying Key Environment Performance Indicators (KEPI), motivating green acquisitions, or comparative assessment between a modern and a classical technology [19]. The latter application is used mainly for research to prove the environmentally friendly character of modern technology [20].

The Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) phase means collecting for the product or process the inputs and outputs into the system, such as electric energy, heat, raw materials, auxiliary substances, transport, etc. The Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) phase is usually supported by software applications. The inputs and outputs into the system are discretized in elemental units upon the environment, included within a data basis, and computed by the software application on impact categories. Impact categories characterize various aspects of the impact on the environment and are grouped in specific methods. The EcoIndicator 99E method includes impact categories such as carcinogens, ozone layer, fossil fuels, ecotoxicity, etc. It is based on the calculation of the damages to Human Health, Ecosystem Quality, and Resources [21]. More examples of methods include ReCiPe (which includes global warming, terrestrial acidification, water consumption, etc.) [22] and IMPACT2002+ refereeing human health, ecosystem quality, climate change, and resources in a combined midpoint/damage structure [23].

**Figure 2.** *The four phases of LCA accordingly to the Standard 14040 [18].*

### *Life Cycle Assessment of Flexible Electromagnetic Shields DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99772*

The SimaPro7 software and the EcoInvent 3.0 data basis were used in our study [24, 25]. The following types of LCIA diagrams may be generated by the software, according to the following principles:


The functional unit in a comparative LCA study represents the common reference for the two products or processes [19]. Some of the recent advances in LCA for textile materials include the following literature studies [26–30]. LCA studies were used to foster decisions for implementing new technologies on the management level of SMEs [26]. The research was accomplished on LCA studies for textile raw materials, namely cotton, polyester, nylon, acryl, and elastane, within a benchmarking study [27]. The research was directed towards LCA for various treatment processes on textiles, such as the fireproof treatment of fabrics and its environmental impact reduction by eco-path disposal treatment [28]. Three different recycling PES trousers (chemical/ mechanical and energy recovery) were analyzed in [29].

Moreover, attention was focused on LCA for smart and e-textiles with conductive fibers made of conjugated polymers, carbon nanotubes, graphene, polymer blend, or nanocomposite [30]. Eco-design in smart textiles plays an important role: a comparative LCA study for eco-designed and original smart textiles products was achieved in [31]. End-of-life and recycling management of the textile chain was analyzed by LCA in countries such as Finland [32] and Denmark [33]. A review of the overall impact of nanomaterials on the environment was performed in [34].
