Who said greenwashing? This is radical transparency powered by BCome

We use a ‘cradle-to-gate’ approach, what does this mean? The stages included in the LCA go from the raw materials extraction to the delivery of the product in the warehouse, evaluating material processing, wet processing (coloration, print and treatment), manufacturing, transportation and packaging. Occasionally, fashion brands have difficulty collecting information from one of the stages, in this case conservative assumptions are made.

In order to standardize the results, the displayed results correspond to the production of one piece of garment (M size), one accessory, or one pair of shoes (42/ menswear, 38/ womenswear).

It’s the quality of the data that determines the accuracy of the results obtained from an LCA. To analyze and define the different data that BCome collects and produces, as well as the relation between them, we have a private sectoral database with multiple aggregated datasets from the textile and footwear sector classified by impact indicator, material group, production process, life cycle stage and country. The data is modeled on OpenLCA 1.11.0 or taken directly from the data source depending on its type. Aggregated data comes from the production site, also known as primary data, or from databases and available literature, in this case secondary data whose sources we list below:

Our objective is to have a global vision of the impact that an article has, therefore, our environmental assessments evaluate four impact indicators that allow us to know the product’s footprint in greater depth. Let us explain what they are, what units we use to measure them and the methodology followed in each case:

The results are compared to a conventional scenario based on a product of the same type, same weight, and same functionality in which the following parameters have been modified:

• The composition that makes up each product, as far as they are of the same nature, properties, and density.
• The wet processes (coloration, print, and treatments), as far as they provide the same function to the garment.
• The origin of the raw materials, material processes, wet processes, and manufacturing is changed to China, therefore, transport used between raw material extraction and manufacturing is changed to truck and from manufacturing to the warehouse is changed to plane (intercontinental) or truck (intracontinental).
• The packaging is changed to the conventional use of cardboard boxes and plastic films.

If you’d like to go deeper into our Life Cycle Assessment methodology, you’ll always find available our latest update.

The circularity indicators were defined to overview all circularity aspects of the product life cycle including:

• Feedstock characteristics
• Lifespan of the product (intensity and length of use)
• End-of-life management

The calculation of the CEI is linked with a wide diversity of sub-indicators including:

To compare the circularity of the products assessed with the market average, we’ve also built a benchmark scenario where the conventional products are based on the following criteria:

• Made out of 100% virgin materials.
• Based on the market average length and intensity of use.
• Follow the average end-of-life management of garments in Europe:
  • 80% landfilled.
  • 10% recycled (recycling efficiency of 93%).
  • 10% reused.

The Eco-Score evaluates the best practices implemented throughout the value chain for positive environmental, social and ethical impact, on the basis that exceeding 0% already implies a positive impact. Check here what are the practices included in the BCome Eco-Score methodology.

BCome validates all best practices declared through existing certifications and standards as well as the responsibility declaration form and the commitment declaration form.

BCome associates each best practice with a positive impact score of 5, 10 or 15 points and gives a rating by impact area. For the final qualification, the score obtained is translated into a scoring system out of 10 and ranked in five categories.