Social Life Cycle Assessment of a textile product

This study presents an application of the Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) method to a textile product according to the guideline of social life cycle assessment of UNEP/SETAC. The functional unit of the study is a cape knitted in a soft blend of wool and cashmere produced by a textile company located in Sicily (Italy). The system boundaries of the study include the phases of the life cycle from raw materials production, throughout tissue/accessories production to the manufacturing process of the product itself at San Lorenzo Group. Background and foreground processes are taken into account using primary data and secondary data. The primary data have been gathered using questionnaires prepared for the focused stakeholder, while the secondary data have been identified using the Social Hotspot Database. Among the five stakeholders provided by S-LCA Guidelines, two have been taken in consideration (workers and local communities), as the ones who can better represent the company's value. The final results of this study are used to assess the main social performances related to a specific Italian textile product in order to consider the various social values of the product manufactured in a company that has a strong link with the territory.