How Ubrania Do Oddania and Envirly built an LCA-based environmental impact calculator
Learn how an LCA-based calculator helped Ubrania Do Oddania communicate the measurable environmental benefits of clothing reuse.
From circular fashion to auditable impact data
CASE STUDY
Every garment passed on for reuse represents a measurable environmental difference compared with producing a new item. The challenge is to quantify that difference in a way that is transparent, methodologically sound and suitable for communication with customers, partners and ESG teams.
Ubrania Do Oddania wanted its environmental impact calculator to do more than display an attractive number. The company needed an auditable data model that could explain what had been measured, which system boundary had been used and which data sources supported the result.
Working with Envirly, the company rebuilt the calculator around Life Cycle Assessment methodology and two comparable scenarios: the production of new clothing and the preparation of used garments for recirculation.
Business context
The Ubrania Do Oddania model enables users to send in clothing they no longer need, support selected social initiatives and help reduce textile waste. The user journey is simple, but credible environmental communication requires a robust answer to a more demanding question: how was the impact calculated?
The company needed current and auditable indicators that could convert each kilogram of donated clothing into specific outcomes: avoided greenhouse gas emissions and reduced water withdrawal compared with the production of new garments.
The calculator therefore had to be treated as a data and governance tool, not as a decorative marketing counter. Its scope, functional unit, data sources and calculation logic all had to be clear enough to withstand external scrutiny.
The challenge: defensible impact communication
The team needed reliable answers to five practical questions:
· What is the environmental impact of producing 1 kg of new clothing?
· What is the impact of the UDO process for 1 kg of clothing prepared for recirculation?
· What difference can be credibly shown to a user?
· How can technical results be translated into clear, accessible language?
· How can the methodology and evidence be explained to corporate partners involved in clothing collection campaigns?
The starting point was a clearly defined functional unit: 1 kg of clothing. This reduced ambiguity and created a consistent basis for comparing the two scenarios.
How Envirly supported the project
· Defined the analytical objective and reference unit.
· Structured two comparable scenarios.
· Developed indicators for greenhouse gas emissions and water withdrawal.
· Applied LCA methodology and appropriate environmental data sources.
· Converted the results into values suitable for use in the calculator.
· Supported transparent communication of the methodology and results.
The result was a user-facing calculator backed by a structured environmental data model. Users can see the potential impact of their decision, while UDO and its partners retain access to the underlying technical indicators.
Methodology and auditability
The assessment used Life Cycle Assessment methodology. The functional unit was 1 kg of sampled clothing, and the analysis applied a cradle-to-gate system boundary ending when garments left the sorting facility within the UDO model.
Two impact categories were included: greenhouse gas emissions expressed in kg CO₂e per kilogram of clothing, and total water withdrawal expressed in cubic metres and litres per kilogram of clothing.
UDO’s methodology communication identifies Ecoinvent 3.11, AIB 2024, peer-reviewed research available through ScienceDirect and supplier data as key sources. Documenting these sources matters because auditability depends not only on the final number, but also on the evidence, assumptions and calculation logic behind it.
From technical indicators to user communication
The calculator presents technical indicators while also translating them into more intuitive comparisons, such as hours of online video streaming, kilometres driven by car, drinking water for one person and five-minute showers.
This two-layer model preserves methodological integrity while making the results easier to understand. Technical units remain available for ESG and business reporting, while users receive communication that makes the scale of impact tangible.
Business value
Credible environmental communication
LCA-based data gives UDO a clear basis for explaining what was calculated, for which unit and within which boundary.
A practical user engagement tool
The calculator connects a user action with a measurable environmental outcome and supports education around responsible consumption.
Stronger B2B partnerships
Corporate partners involved in collections or social campaigns can use structured indicators in internal and external communication.
A foundation for optimisation
The analysis helps identify the process elements that matter most and where further operational improvements may be possible.
Better governance of environmental claims
Clear data sources, assumptions and system boundaries reduce the risk of unsupported or inconsistent sustainability claims.
What this case demonstrates
· Environmental communication should start with a defined functional unit.
· System boundaries must be explicit and understandable.
· Data should be structured so that calculations can scale with the weight of collected clothing.
· Environmental claims should follow the methodology, not the other way around.
· The most effective ESG tools connect technical evidence with the real user experience.
Conclusion
The Ubrania Do Oddania case shows how environmental data can support a circular business model in practice. The updated calculator converts clothing donations into specific indicators: avoided CO₂e emissions and reduced water withdrawal compared with the production of new textiles.
The project also demonstrates a broader compliance and governance principle. Sustainability claims become more credible when the organisation can show what was measured, which methodology was used, who owns the data and which evidence supports the result.
Through Envirly, companies can conduct LCA studies, calculate product footprints and transform environmental data into practical tools for communication and business decision-making. Quantifier.ai extends the same audit-ready approach to broader GRC and compliance workflows, helping organisations structure responsibilities, evidence and controls.
Call to action
Would you like to turn environmental or compliance data into an auditable process? Quantifier.ai and Envirly help organisations structure evidence, automate workflows and communicate results with greater confidence.
Source materials
· Ubrania Do Oddania: https://ubraniadooddania.pl/
· UDO environmental impact calculator: https://ubraniadooddania.pl/eco
· LCA indicators and methodology: https://firmawporzadku.pl/wskazniki/
· Envirly: https://www.envirly.com/