The growing attention to sustainability and life cycle issues by European and international policies has recently encouraged the adoption, in the construction sector, of environmental labels able to quantify the impacts on environment associated with the fabrication of several building materials, e.g., their embodied energy and carbon. Within this framework, since walls represent a large percentage of building mass and therefore of embodied impacts, this article collects and analyzes nearly 180 Environmental Products Declarations (EPDs) of wall construction products such as masonry blocks and concrete panels. The data related to the primary energy (renewable and non-renewable) and the global warming potential extracted from the EPDs were compared firstly at the block level (choosing 1 kg as functional unit), enabling designers and manufacturers to understand and reduce the impacts from wall products at the early design stage. As the design progresses, it is therefore necessary to evaluate the environmental impacts related to the entire wall system. For this purpose, this paper proposes a further investigation on some simple wall options having similar thermal performance and superficial mass (the functional unit chosen in this case was equal to 1 m² with R ≈ 5 m²K/W, Ms ≈ 260 kg/m²). The outcomes showed how the durability of the materials and the potential of disassembly of the wall stratigraphies can play a crucial role in reducing the environmental impact. This paper provides a methodological reference both for manufacturers to reduce impacts and for designers committed to the application of environmental labeling in the design process since they will now be able to compare their products with others.

The textile and clothing (T&C) industry, despite its significant contribution to the European economy, is one of the most polluting industries globally. Therefore, the EU's Green Deal has identified the T&C sector as a strategic area for allocating public funding and transitioning towards a circular economy (CE). In this context, the “Circular Design for Natural Fibers” project, financed by the PNRR MICS “Made in Italy Circolare e Sostenibile” programme, focuses on enhancing the use of natural fibrous material, related by-products and waste from local production chains. In the research, a crucial aspect is the evaluation of the effectiveness of circularity through life cycle approaches, such as LCA, LCC, S-LCA and LCSA, for environmental, economic and social sustainability evaluation, respectively. A systematic review was carried out, to provide a synthesis of the available scientific evidence regarding the life cycle approaches in the international/national context within the production, processing, and post-consumer supply chains of natural fibers. The study identifies gaps in the literature on life cycle evaluation approaches for natural fibers. Specifically, the LCA approach appears preponderant compared to the others. The paper offers insights for researchers and professionals interested in improving the sustainability of natural fiber production processes and the evaluation of their overall sustainability.