Environmental benefits of virtual sampling for garment production

The digitization of sample preparation processes, known as virtual sampling, offers a promising solution to reduce the environmental footprint of garment manufacturing. In the traditional physical sampling process, producing multiple prototypes for each design, sending them to buyers for approval, and repeating these steps in case of design changes cause significant environmental impacts. Virtual sampling, which uses 3D modeling software to visualize garments, provides a viable alternative to minimize these negative effects. This study aimed to evaluate the environmental benefits of virtual sample preparation compared to conventional physical sampling. A comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted using GaBi 10.7 software, based on real factory data from four different garment models. Replacing physical sampling with virtual sampling reduced the global warming potential, human toxicity, and primary energy demand by approximately 85-90 %, and water consumption by 86-91 %, depending on the garment type. Virtual sampling also shortened sample preparation time by up to 73 %. A sensitivity analysis assessed the effect of +/- 10 % variations in electricity consumption for energy-intensive processes, indicating that Global Warming Potential values were more sensitive to electricity use in virtual sample preparation. Overall, this study provides one of the first quantitative, factory-based LCA comparisons of virtual and traditional sampling, offering novel insights into digital transformation and sustainability in the apparel industry.