The Fate of Natural Fibres in Environmental Evaluations: A Question of Volume

Ingun Grimstad Klepp (), Kirsi Laitala, Vilde Haugrønning (), Anna Schytte Sigaard and Tone Skårdal Tobiasson ()
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Ingun Grimstad Klepp: Oslo Metropolitan University
Kirsi Laitala: Oslo Metropolitan University
Vilde Haugrønning: Oslo Metropolitan University
Anna Schytte Sigaard: Oslo Metropolitan University
Tone Skårdal Tobiasson: Nordic Initiative Clean & Ethical Fashion

Chapter Chapter 2 in Local, Slow and Sustainable Fashion, 2022, pp 35-59 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Comparing fibres in the discussion surrounding environmental issues has for many years been a numbers game where the aim has been to set them up against each other in order to cherry-pick which fibre is the best to use to save the Planet. Counter-intuitively, natural fibres have received the lowest scores and synthetic fibres have stood out as the ‘winners’. For wool, this has meant spending time, money and effort to disprove that this is the case. Today, one of the most used tools is the Higg Index; and in this tool’s Material Science Index (MSI) the fibres have been ranked for a long time with a single score. Here silk, alpaca, cow leather, cotton and wool had the highest (worst) scores; while polyester and recycled polyester held the best scores. In this chapter we unpack the background for these tools, and how they are being criticised. There is little public knowledge surrounding this discussion, and balancing the information we unpack, is in many ways time-sensitive as the now privately owned Higg Co. is in dialogue with the affected fibre organisations.

Keywords: Product environmental footprint; Textile fibres; Higg Index; Use phase; Overproduction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-88300-3_2

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