Textile Exchange published the first in a series of seven Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies on March 26, 2026, designed to improve the quality and robustness of environmental impact data for raw material production across the fashion, textile, and apparel industry. The first study focuses on cotton, addressing critical data gaps and methodology variability through new high-quality data across key producing countries. Covering organic, regenerative, recycled, and conventional cotton production systems, the study includes data from nine countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Pakistan, Peru, Tanzania, Türkiye, and the USA.

All studies in the series take a holistic “LCA+” approach, looking at indicators beyond traditional LCA methodology to provide insights into areas such as biodiversity, soil health, animal welfare, and social impacts. The cotton LCA findings identify field emissions as the primary hotspot across most systems and countries, largely driven by nitrogen balance linked to synthetic fertilizer application. Practices associated with organic and regenerative systems were found to strengthen long-term soil resilience and reduce pressures on nature.

Cotton LCA data is planned for submission throughout 2026 to industry databases including Higg MSI, Ecoinvent, and WALDB. Subsequent studies covering polyester, cashmere, nylon, leather, wool, and mohair will be published throughout 2026 and 2027.