To fully understand the environmental impact of a garment, it is essential to consider not only how it is produced, but also how it is used, cared for, and managed at end of life. However, obtaining reliable data on these stages remains a significant challenge. Most environmental impact assessments currently operate on a cradle-to-gate basis, meaning the use and end-of-life phases are often excluded from measurement and reporting.

To address this gap, Green Story, in collaboration with Northumbria University, has developed a methodology to establish baseline environmental impact indicators linked to garment use and end-of-life behaviours.

You can read more about the initial phase of this work in the published report here.

Call for participation

Green Story and Northumbria University are now seeking apparel and textile brands to take part in the next phase of the project.

This opportunity is particularly relevant for brands that want to:

• Better understand how customers use, care for, and dispose of their products
• Gain visibility of the environmental impacts associated with these behaviours
• Strengthen their understanding of product impacts beyond production
• Prepare for evolving sustainability reporting and regulatory requirements
• Generate insights that can inform circularity strategies and consumer engagement

Participating brands will benefit from:

• Greater understanding of customer use patterns and end-of-life pathways
• Improved visibility of whole-life product impacts
• Insights to support circular design, resale, repair and recycling initiatives
• Evidence to inform more effective consumer communications
• Free product traceability through the Green Story platform for selected participants

If your organisation is interested in contributing to this research and gaining deeper insights into the full lifecycle impacts of your products, we encourage you to get in touch to discuss participation. Contact Dr. Alana James at Northumbria University (alana.james@northumbria.ac.uk) or Akhil Sivanandan at Green Story (akhil@greenstory.io).