Life cycle assessment (LCA) and cradle-to-cradle (C2C) approaches in sustainable textile wastewater treatment: Recent developments, trends, and advances

The textile sector significantly contributes to industrial wastewater pollution, highlighted by elevated levels of organic matter, dyes, salts, and auxiliary chemicals. This research rigorously evaluates current progress in life cycle assessment (LCA) and cradle-to-cradle (C2C) methodologies for sustainable textile wastewater management, marking environmental hotspots, methodological constraints, and prospects for circular recovery. Different stages of the textile dyeing process show that the use of chemicals significantly affects the environment, especially for using freshwater, energy consumption and ecological risks. Recent researches indicate a distinct change from traditional treatments to advanced recovery-oriented methods, including membrane bioreactors, advanced oxidation, and biological processes, which provide water reuse and chemical recovery within textile clusters in underdeveloped countries. This review study demonstrates that the integration of LCA and C2C frameworks can markedly mitigate environmental impacts; however, successful industrial implementation requires standardized methodology, targeted identification of environmental hotspots at the process level and techno-economic validation. The study offers strategic direction for researchers and industry practitioners by evaluating these insights to improve circular textile wastewater management and prioritize measures that promote sustainability throughout the textile value chain. • Integrates LCA and Cradle-to-Cradle for sustainable textile wastewater management. • Identifies environmental hotspots across key textile processes like dyeing and finishing. • Reviews advanced treatments: membrane bioreactors, fenton oxidation, hybrid systems. • Supports zero-liquid-discharge, water reuse, and material recovery for circularity. • Assesses standards to reduce ecological footprint and freshwater consumption globally.