Microplastic pollution from synthetic textiles can be found all over the world – from Mount Everest, the highest point on the planet, to the Mariana Trench, the deepest oceanic trench on Earth. For fashion designers, retailers and environmentally conscious brands, the concern becomes how to combat the problem of microplastics – from the fabrics used to the quality of the clothes to the quantity produced.
Within fashion, the problem of microplastics stems from the heavy use of synthetics such as polyester, acrylic and nylon. Such man-made, petroleum-based materials account for 69 percent of all textile fibers. It takes approximately 342 million barrels of oil each year to produce synthetic fibers, according to BBVA’s OpenMind research. Microfibers from these petroleum-based garments enter the environment during production, use and even end-of-life, as 85 percent of textile waste ends up in landfills. Unlike natural fibers, which biodegrade over time and return to Earth, petroleum-based clothing will not decompose for decades, if not hundreds of years, allowing microfibers to blow through the air and enter soil, air, and water. . Further, if synthetic clothing is incinerated with landfill waste, the fibers can release pollutants into the atmosphere.
Timo Rissanen, a fashion and textiles researcher and associate professor at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, said it is technically possible for the fashion industry to combat the global microplastic problem by switching to natural fibres, but by shifting the mindset of business and value. the systems that underlie fashion are where the challenges lie.
“Fibers derived from petrochemicals have created the illusion that there are no concrete limits to the volumes of clothing we produce today, and that is a dangerous illusion,” says Rissanen in an interview with Cotton Incorporated. Lifestyle monitor™. “Unlimited growth is a suicidal fantasy. Also, the problem with petrochemical-based fibers is two-fold: it’s an extraction problem and a plastic pollution problem, including microplastic pollution. Show me an oil or gas extraction site that is somehow ‘ethical’ or ‘neutral’. We in fashion are complicit.”
This close relationship with petroleum-based clothing may prove increasingly problematic as consumers become more environmentally concerned. Most consumers (66 percent) who are aware of microplastic pollution know that most of it is caused by washing clothes made from synthetic fibers, according to Cotton Incorporated 2022. Lifestyle monitor™ Survey. And nearly two-thirds of shoppers (65 percent) who are aware of microfiber pollution say this awareness will influence their future clothing decisions. Even more, 63 percent are concerned about brands and retailers using synthetic fibers in their clothing because of plastic microfiber pollution.
Premium denim brand DL1961 – label: “The Circular Denim Company” – has partnered with Recover, a post-consumer textile science company and global producer of low-impact, high-quality cotton fiber blends and recycled cotton fibers. up. Going into 2023, every product in the DL1961 line will contain Recover recycled cotton fibers.
Three-quarters of consumers (75 percent) say they are interested in clothing recycling as a sustainable initiative for the fashion industry, according to Monitor™ research. And nearly a third of consumers (34 percent) say they are willing to pay more for clothing produced through clothing recycling. Further, about a third say they are interested in clothing recycling programs that recycle old clothes into new clothing (34 percent).
“Working with Recover is another step in our quest for better and that’s what we stand for when it comes to sustainability and being transparent,” DL1961’s Nikki Clay, head of global men’s sales, said at the recent trade show PROJECT in New York in one. interview with Monitor™.
When it comes to combating microplastic pollution, Clay says, “Brands need to do their homework. Are they relying on the practices they say they care about and do they really understand what they are doing? For now, every opportunity you can use to make a product safer should be explored. And if people understand the costs, if you educate your customer about why your product is more expensive, then you give them information to help them with their decision.
Over a third of consumers (49 percent) say that sustainability or environmental friendliness is important to them when deciding what clothing they plan to buy. Monitor™ research. Further, nearly half of all consumers (47 percent) say the term ‘sustainable clothing’ means long-lasting or durable, followed by eco-friendly (23 percent), renewable/reusable (18 percent) and natural / safe (7 percent). ). Most say cotton clothing is more durable (76 percent), higher quality (71 percent) and lasts longer (59 percent) compared to man-made fiber clothing.
Esteban Saba of Håndvaerk, co-founder and CEO of the Southampton, NY-based clothing brand, said his company, which uses only natural fibers, is “the poster child for slow fashion.”
“I think making less clothes, making things that are less seasonal, making clothes that are meant to last… that’s the long-term answer,” Saba said at the recent Men’s/Women’s trade show in New York at a interview with Monitor™. “I think there is a very young consumer who is very ideological in what they talk about, but there may be a money barrier so they will go to these fast fashion brands. For us, our customer is the working professional who can invest in something that is meant to last, who likes quality. He’s not looking for anything else in fashion; he’s looking for something that’s done well.”
Saba’s remarks echo the sentiment behind a proposed package of legislative measures proposed by the European Commission, which aims to make sustainable textiles the norm in the EU. The strategy will encourage a shift towards quality, sustainability, longer use, repair and reuse, and address the unintentional release of microplastics from textiles. Rissanen’s view is in line with such measures, as he says there needs to be a new generation of fibers to replace conventional synthetics such as polyester, as well as a reduction in the current volume of clothing being produced.
“This is an incredibly difficult project that requires centralized, international work and a lot of specific local work around the world,” says Rissanen. “The fiber mix can include recycled fibers although plastic fibers that are incompatible with biological systems should be excluded, including recycled polyester, as these still contribute to microplastic pollution. Where the performance qualities of plastic polyesters are required, renewable and biodegradable fibers must be developed and made available. What worries me constantly is our general willingness to pump in more and more microplastics when we don’t know their full impacts on human health and the health of other organisms. It speaks to a deep disconnect we have with the Earth and with ourselves.”
The Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor™ survey is an ongoing research program that measures consumer attitudes and behaviors regarding clothing, shopping, fashion, sustainability and more.
For more information about the Lifestyle Monitor™ Survey, please visit https://lifestylemonitor.cottoninc.com/.
