7. Lifecycle analysis

To illustrate the different stages to be taken into account in life cycle assessment, let's take the example of a T-shirt manufactured in Asia and used in a European country. The various stages to be considered are shown in figure 3 .

• The first stage is the cultivation of cotton (four species are grown), which requires a lot of water, fertilizers, pesticides and defoliants. Around a quarter of the pesticides used worldwide are dedicated to...