Using LCAs for fashion communication

Where in your company's journey you can use LCA results for communication and what they have to do with the Green Claims Directive proposal

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“Supply chains are not machines, they are small ecosystems”, said Dr. Hakan Karaosman at the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark this week. And we totally agree. Because when we look at every step of the textile supply chain there are entire ecosystems to consider not just numbers on paper. That’s also why Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) – as useful as they are and can be! – have their limitations. They don’t consider every environmental and social aspect but can give a useful basis for steering the product portfolio into a more environmentally-friendly future.¹

Last week we covered the basics of Life Cycle Assessments and a few more aspects they are criticized for. In case you missed it, here you go. So in this issue, we dive into how you can use LCA results for communication, what you should consider beforehand, and what LCAs have to do with the EU Green Claims Directive proposal.

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Putting it to the vote: Another LCA ultra-deep dive?

Before we get down to the communication tips. We want to get quick feedback from you. Because in this issue, we initially also wanted to share more information about the criticism revolving around the Higg MSI and how LCAs can lead to false claims if you don’t conduct and evaluate them correctly – for example by comparing synthetic and natural materials. But as it’s already loaded with input on communication, we’re putting it to the vote:

And now let’s really dive in!

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How to use LCA results for external communication 

LCA results hold much information which you can use to give your customers a glimpse of what’s going on behind the scenes. And we get that having these results on paper is a great resource for communication and marketing teams. 

But when you conduct an LCA the motivation behind it matters – and it should not be for communication purposes. Why? Because it’s supposed to help you make business decisions to reduce your product’s impact on the environment. With that in mind, here are three ways you can use LCA results for your communication. 

1. Communicate challenges: LCAs may show you that the materials your products are made out of have a way bigger impact than you initially thought. But switching to other materials while ensuring the same quality and utility takes time. Maybe you also don’t want to switch materials for several social and environmental reasons and try to find other ways to reduce your impact. Whatever challenges you face, you can use LCA results to communicate and explain them to your customers. Because sharing challenges with your community and being as transparent as possible builds trust in a greenwashed market.