Impact Factor 3.3

Cite Score 6.8

ISSN 2071-1050

Sustainability in Fashion and Textiles: Can Environmental Impact Assessments Inform a Circular Fashion Future?​

Deadline for manuscripts is the 30th of June 2026

This issue aims to address challenges regarding how environmental impact is measured and assessed across all phases of the fashion and textile product lifecycle from a multi-disciplinary perspective.

It encourages critical evaluation of the reliability, authenticity, and usability of data across atmospheric, terrestrial, and aquatic environments. 

Exploring how existing methods of quantification could be having a detrimental effect on sustainable development across the sector, it aims to critically analyse existing tools, methods, and metrics to improve environmental impact assessment methodologies.

We invite researchers, industry experts, and academics to submit papers that address key areas such as:

  1. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Lifecycle Analysis (LCA): Addressing the short-comings of existing metrics and methodologies.
  2. Transparent Pathways to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): Enabling inclusive and accessible routes to accurate, reliable, and authentic sources of EIA.
  3. Circular Knowledge Systems: Forging cross-disciplinary collaborations and enabling evidenced-based scientific data to be utilised in the development of new products, processes and behaviours.
  4. Equitable Partnerships: Bridging and managing perceived knowledge/action gaps through communication efficiency across stakeholder groups.

Prof. Dr. Anne Peirson-Smith

Guest Editor
Fashion, Product & Heritage, School of Design, Arts & Creative Industries, Northumbria UniversityInterests: sustainable fashion management; consumer behaviour; fashion communication and marketing

Dr. Alana James

Guest Editor
Fashion, Product & Heritage, School of Design, Arts & Creative Industries, Northumbria University
Interests: sustainable design innovation; sustainable fashion; sustainable consumer behaviour

Dr. Kelly Sheridan

Guest Editor
School of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne NE1 8ST, UK
Interests: environmental pollution; textile sustainability; environmental impact and assessments

Dr. Thomas Stanton

Guest Editor
Department of Geography and Environment, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
Interests: pollution; community science; interdisciplinary environmental research

We welcome applications from all disciplines.

Published Papers

Sustainable Fashion in China: Consumers’ Second-Hand Clothing Intentions and Market Evolution

Zhiyi Zhang

Sustainability 202517(24), 10997 –  7 December 2025
 

As global attention on environmental sustainability grows, the fashion industry is shifting towards circular models, with the second-hand clothing market emerging as a key pathway to sustainable development. In China, this market is rapidly evolving…

Challenges and Responsibilities in Service-Based Sustainable Fashion Retail: Insights and Guidelines from a Qualitative Study

Tommaso Elli

Sustainability 202517(23), 10474 21 November 2025
 

Sustainable fashion retail is associated with supporting circular economy processes through the provision of services that extend the duration of products, their components, and their materials. Considerable attention has been paid to environmental…

Sustainable Treatments in Denim Fabric: A Systematic Review of Environmental Impact

Valeria Chugá-Chamorro, Marco Naranjo-Toro, Omar Godoy-Collaguazo and Andrea Basantes-Andrade

Sustainability 202517(23), 10469 21 November 2025
 

The denim production is among the most polluting processes in textiles due to its high consumption of water, energy, and chemicals. This study presents a Systematic Literature Review (PRISMA 2020) on sustainable treatments applied to denim…

Textile Materials Information for Digital Product Passport Implementation in the Textile and Clothing Ecosystem: A Review on the Role of Raw Fibers in a Substantial Transition

Flavia Papile and Barbara Del Curto

Sustainability 202517(19), 8804 29 September 2025
 

The Textiles and Clothing sector is increasingly focused on transitioning towards circular production, with industrial companies striving to integrate sustainable practices. Achieving this goal can involve the rapid adoption of innovative raw fibers…

Consumer Carbon Footprint of Fashion E-Commerce: A Comparative Analysis Between Omnichannel and Pure-Player Models in Spain

David Antonio Rosas, Carlos Lli-Torrabadella, María Tamames-Sobrino, Irene Miguel-Corbacho and José Luis Olazagoitia

Sustainability202517(19), 8690 25 September 2025
 

The rapid expansion of fashion e-commerce has raised concerns over the environmental cost of last-mile deliveries, especially in pure-player models. This preliminary study examines the estimated carbon footprint of TENDAM’s omnichannel…

Towards a Circular Fashion Future: A Textile Revalorization Model Combining Public and Expert Insights from Chile

Cristian D. Palma and Priscilla Cabello-Avilez

Sustainability202517(19), 8670 25 September 2025
 

The global textile industry has a significant environmental impact, driven by fast fashion and rising consumption, which leads to large amounts of waste. In Chile, this problem is especially visible, with thousands of tons of discarded clothing…

Legacy Datasets and Their Impacts: Analysing Ecoinvent’s Influence on Wool and Polyester LCA Outcomes

Mitali Nautiyal, Donna Cleveland, Amabel Hunting and Amanda Smith

Sustainability 202517(14), 6513 15 July 2025
Accurate and transparent Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) datasets are essential for reliable sustainability evaluations, particularly in the complex and varied textile industry. Historically, the ecoinvent database has been a foundational source for LCA…

Circular Business Strategies in the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry

Susana Bernardino, José de Freitas Santos and Margarida Silva

Sustainability 202517(11), 5005 28 May 2025
 

The transition from a linear to a more circular economy has pressured companies from different sectors to implement circular business strategies and redesign their existing business models or even create new ones. The aim of this investigation is…