To what extent does a sporting good impact on the environment and how to communicate?

In recent years, several studies have explored the environmental impacts of sport from different point of views, for instance about sporting events and sporting facilities. However, a limited number of studies have explored the environmental impacts due to the production of technical clothing, for which the need of performance materials has increased the burdens on the environment. In this context, the aim of this study is to quantify to what extent technical clothing impacts on the environment and explore the main contributors to the impact. In order to reach our aim, a specific sporting good is analyzed. The study is conducted applying the life cycle methodology to a cycling pad, which is the most important component of cycling shorts. The primary data are collected for energy and resources’ consumption, waste and emissions produced during the production of the pad under study. The results show that the most significant impacts are associated with the utilization of polyurethane foam and energy consumption for the coupling and thermoforming phases. In addition, our study highlights the impact associated with distribution separately, revealing to what extent the impacts increase for all the categories, in particular for the climate change and ozone depletion. The novelty of this study is that this is the first analysis about the environmental impacts of technical clothing used for cycling. Knowing the environmental impact of a cycling pad, can help gaining a more complete picture of cycling advantages and burdens on the environment.