This document provides an overview of the life cycle assessment of a cotton T-shirt. It discusses the various stages of the life cycle, including raw material extraction, fabric production, manufacturing, packaging, transportation, use, and disposal. For raw materials, it notes that most T-shirts are made from cotton, polyester, or cotton/polyester blends. It then describes the spinning and weaving processes to produce cotton fabric from raw cotton. The manufacturing process involves designing, material sourcing, pattern making, cutting, stitching, finishing, and quality inspection. The document also discusses the environmental impacts of T-shirt production and disposal.

1. Life Cycle Assessment
of T-Shirt
Solid Waste Management
ENV-350

2. Submitted to:
Dr. Gulam Mustafa
Submitted by:
Rimsha Jamil
Registration No:
SP18-BES-014
Department of Environmental Sciences
COMSATS University Islamabad Vehari Campus

3. Table of Contents
05 06
03
04
01 02
Impact on
Environment
Treatment of disposal
t-shirts
Life Cycle Assessment
Stages of life cycle
assessment
Background Fabrics for
T- Shirts
07 References

4. T-shirts are durable, versatile garments with
mass appeal that may be worn as outerwear
or underwear. Since their creation in 1920, T-
shirts have evolved into a two-billion-dollar
market. T-shirt sleeves may be short or long,
capped, yoked, or raglan. Additional features
include pockets and decorative trim. Printed
shirts may feature political slogans, humor, art,
sports, as well as famous people and places.
Background

5. The most important things to consider, other than
the general properties and qualities of the fabric
that points to the use of best yarns, are Thread
count and ply and use of the best weaving
processes.
• The shirt is usually made up of;
• Fine cotton
• Poplin
• Twill
• Linen
• Flannel
• Gabardine cotton
• Oxford fabric
Fabrics for T-Shirts

6. Life cycle assessment is a cradle-to-grave or cradle-to-cradle analysis technique to
assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life.
Stages of Life Cycle Assessment
There are five major stages of life cycle assessment of a product.
Life Cycle Assessment
• Material Extraction
• Manufacturing
• Packaging
• Transportation
• Use
• End of life
We take cotton fabric T-Shirt for its life cycle Assessment

7.  Raw Material
 From Raw Cotton to Cotton Fabrics
 Manufacturing Process
 Packaging
Stages of life cycle assessment
 Transportation
 Use
 Disposal

8. The majority of T-shirts are made of
● 100% cotton,
● polyester, or a
● cotton/polyester blend.
1.Raw Material

9. The fabric usually used in the clothes we wear is produced through two processes: the
“spinning process,” where raw cotton is turned into thread, and the “weaving process,”
where the thread is woven into fabric.
2.From Raw Cotton to Cotton Fabrics

10. Spinning

11. Mixing and blowing
Carding
Sliver lap former
Combing

12. Drawing
Roving
Spinning
Winding

13. In weaving, the warp thread and weft yarn are crossed over one another in a set
method in order to weave the required type of fabric. A machine designed to
accomplish this task is called a loom. First, the warp thread and weft yarn are prepared
so that they can be set into the loom.
Weaving process

14. Warping
Sizing
Drawing-in
Weaving
Inspection/ Folding
Packing

15. The manufacturing process of t-shirt starts from designing a t-shirt, sourcing of fabrics
and ends after selling the t-shirt to retailers.
● Order Receiving
● Material Sourcing
● Material Inspection
● Pattern Making
● Cutting of Fabric and Fusing Material
● Stitching
● Shirt Finishing
● Quality Inspection
3.Manufacturing Process

16. After final inspection & garments folding, the garments are poly-packed dozen-wise,
color wise, size ratio wise, bundled and packed in the carton. The carton is marked with
important information in printed form which is seen from outside the carton easily.
Packaging Materials
● Plastic clip
● Paper board
● Wooden Boxes and Crates
● Butterfly
● Plastic collar
● Tag pin
● Ball head pin
● Poly bag
● Inner box
● Tissue paper
● Carton
● Scotch tape
4. Packaging

17. There are four main modes of transportation used in the textile industry: through air
travel, by ship, on the road, or by rail.
5. Transportation

18. Once the t-shirt reaches the retail market it is purchased, thus entering into the use
phase. But take into consideration the number of times you've washed and dried your
favorite t-shirt. However, the average American household does nearly 400 loads of
laundry per year, using about 40 gallons of water per full load with a conventional
washer.
6. Use phase of T-Shirt

19. The final stage for the t shirt is disposal, which also involves quite a bit of carbon
emissions and pollution, but it’s also a stage where you have some control as well. A
disposed t shirt will either be incinerated or end up in a landfill- a sad story either way.
But old clothes can be donated for future wear or for the fibers to be recycled.
7. Disposal

20. Within there the larger clothing industry, each clothing item contributes its own
environmental impacts. T-shirts have a substantial environmental impact due to the
fabric they’re made of, their production, and their usage and disposal. Cotton seems to
be the dominant fabric for T-shirt production, and as mentioned, cotton contributes
greatly to the environmental impact of clothing. As mentioned above, dyeing is an
environmentally-taxing part of the production process, and dying T-shirts consumes
large amounts of coal, steam, water, and dyes.
Finally, characteristic of the clothing industry, many t-shirts each year are disposed of
and turned into waste.
Impacts on Environment

21. Treatment of disposal shirts
Drop them off at an
animal rescue
01
Animal shelters are always in need of old garments, fabrics,
blankets and even towels to use as beddings for the animals
under their care. Old clothes are easier to clean, and there’s no
fuss if the animals break them a bit here and there.

22. Treatment of disposal shirts
Compost Natural
Fabrics
02
Composting means turning organic materials into a matter that feeds back the environment.
In our case, composting fabrics such as cotton, wool, and silk, back into the soil. The
compost is then used to grow fruits, vegetables, and all sorts of plants. If you’re into
gardening, this approach of discarding old clothes could be the most environmentally
friendly of all. That said, ensure that the clothes you plan to compost are all-natural. The
fabrics must be free from anything synthetic such as spandex or polyester, or it won’t
decompose.

23. Treatment of disposal shirts
Apparel Recycling
Programme
03
Companies like H&M often offer ‘take-back’ programmers
designed to help you get rid of old clothes. Once collected,
these garments are sent to the nearest recycling plant

24. Treatment of disposal shirts
Garage Sale
04
Garage sales are a great way to give away old clothes and make a few
bucks while you’re at it. You could also choose to donate the proceeds to
local charities – instead of clothes. Either way, it is a worthwhile
contribution and exciting process.

25. Treatment of disposal shirts
Old Shirt Towels
05
A great alternative to upcycling clothes beyond repair is to reuse them as
kitchen towels (instead of paper), to wipe surfaces clean. Cut your shirts
up into rectangular pieces and fold them up for future use in the
kitchen.

26. References
● https://evergreendesignco.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/the-life-cycle-of-a-t-shirt
● https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-lifecycle-of-a-tshirt_b_887133
● https://www.onlineclothingstudy.com/2014/06/shirt-manufacturing-process.html
● https://www.toyota-industries.com/products/textile/process/
● https://www.huffpost.com/entry/20-uses-for-old-t-shirts_n_5a564000e4b03417e8743b68

27. THANKS