Textiles acrylics, elastane

Figure 6. Carbon footprint of cotton textiles with yarn thickness comprised between 70 and 300 dtex (left) and synthetic textiles - acryl, nylon, PET, elastane-, with yarn thickness of 70 dtex (right) [59]...

The main use of fluorescent dyes is in the coloration of synthetic fibres, especially polyester, polyamide and acrylics in conjunction with elastane fibres, for fashion, leisure and especially sportswear uses. The fluorescent textiles offer not only high design options but also a large degree of safety in use, for instance increasing the visibility of cyclists and runners in busy urban areas. 

Van der Velden, N.M., Patel, M.T., Vogtlander, J.G., 2014. LCA benchmarking study on textiles made of cotton, polyester, nylon, acryl, or elastane. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 19, 331—356. 

However, a recently performed LCA benchmarking study by van der Velden et al. (2014) on textiles made from cotton, polyester, nylon, acryl and elastane revealed that the environmental effects of different products depend not only on the base materials but also on the thickness (linear density) of the yam. The environmental burden of different textile processes such as spinning, weaving and knitting decreases with the increase in the linear density of yam. According to the cradle-to-grave analysis, cotton fibre textiles have the highest environmental impacts, followed by nylon, elastane. 

The LCA results of cradle-to-grave analysis from raw material extraction to discarded textiles revealed that the textiles made out of acryl and PET have the least impact on the environment, followed by elastane, nylon and cotton. Additionally, it was also found out from this study that the use phase has less relative impact than is suggested in the classical literature (van der Velden et al., 2014). There were many other conclusions, which will not be discussed here. 

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