Interpretation of LCA Results

Study Limitations:

• Regional variations in farming practices (e.g., water and pesticide use) are not captured.

• End-of-life scenarios (e.g., biodegradation, recycling) are simplified, potentially underestimating their benefits or impacts.

• Consumer behavior assumptions (reuse rates and product care) may not reflect actual use patterns.

• Impacts like microplastics and dyeing processes are excluded.

• Cotton tote bag size may vary.

• We did not Consider of other sustainable alternatives such as hemp or synthetic fiber-based tote bags

• Plastic bags were not considered and thus not compared to either cotton or paper bags.

Significant Issues/Sensitivity Analysis (Comparison to a Paper Bag): 

as shown previously, cotton tote bags have a significant impact on the environment. This impact is made more clear when compared to an alternative such as a paper bag. 

Sensitivity Analysis (another example):

Lifespan: Increasing the lifespan of cotton tote bags to 100 uses halves their per-use Global Warming Potential (GWP), while reducing it to 25 uses doubles the impact. For paper bags, fewer reuses (e.g., 1 use instead of 5) significantly raise per-use impacts.

• Transportation: Locally manufacturing cotton tote bags can cut transportation emissions by 80%.

• Material Choices: Switching to recycled polyester reduces GWP by ~25% but increases reliance on fossil fuels.

Conclusions:

• Cotton tote bags are by no means saints when it comes to being environmentally friendly. They produce large quantities of emissions in several categories and only begin to outperform alternatives with significant use.

• Paper bags generally outperform cotton tote bags and plastic bags (data not shown here), actually outperform them too. In the search for environmentally friendly alternatives, it is important to not make a cure that is worse than the disease.

• Considering the limitations of our study, it is important to note that consumer's habits heavily influence their own sustainable choice. If someone uses their cotton tote enough before disposing of it, they can offset the negative impacts. They need to understand their own usage before deciding what is actually best for the environment.