Worst Fabrics for the Environment
Do you know just how much your closet is affecting the environment?
The fashion industry thrives on providing consumers with the latest trends as quickly as possible. The volume of clothing produced each year, which is approximately 150 billion pieces, inevitably comes with a cost. A large amount of clothing ends up getting thrown away. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the amount of clothes burned or dumped in a landfill every second is equivalent to one garbage truck full of clothes!
As consumers, the power to minimize the impact of fashion is in our hands. To help you make more informed decisions on which garment materials to avoid, we’ve put together a list of the worst fabrics for the environment.
SYNTHETIC FIBERS (POLYESTER, NYLON, RAYON, ACRYLIC)
Even though synthetic, or plastic-based materials do not require a large body of land to produce and they require less water in production, the consequences on the environment is appalling. Synthetic fibers are by-products of petroleum. So not only are they non-biodegradable, they create a long term threat to the ecosystem.
Polyester and Nylon: Polyester and nylon are used extensively in fashion, as they’re cheap and durable. However they’re extremely hazardous to the environment, as they’re non-biodegradable and unsustainable. The production of nylon emits nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that triggers the destruction of the ozone layer. The production of polyester requires much more water. After the production process, the contaminated water is then flushed back into the waterways. When those fibres break down, they can only be reduced to microplastics, which pollute our land and oceans.
Rayon: Rayon is made from purified cellulose fibers, sourced from wood pulp. Though wood pulp might seem harmless as it is a renewable source, the clearing of forests to acquire wood damages the environment. According to The Guardian, 30% of the rayon and viscose used in clothing are derived from endangered and ancient forests. Moreover, rayon requires certain aggressive chemicals such as sodium hydroxide, acetone, carbon disulfide, and sulfuric acid during the treatment process, in order to break down the plant and process it into threads. Those chemicals are then washed down into waterways, polluting rivers and poisoning communities.
Acrylic: Commonly used in sweaters, hoodies, boots etc. Apart from the fact that it’s non-biodegradable, it is practically impossible to recycle garments made with acrylic, which means there is no way to get rid of the fabric once they are produced. The tiny fragments of fiber produced when acrylic is washed also adversely impacts water supply and livestock. Acrylonitrile, an essential element of acrylic fiber, is a known carcinogen and a mutagen. High concentrations of acrylonite obtained through inhalation, ingestion, or skin absorption could result in eye irritations, dermatitis, and even cancer, based on a research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCC).
COTTON
Cotton is a natural fiber, so obviously it’s a biodegradable and sustainable option right? Unfortunately, cotton production is incredibly taxing on the environment.
The process of cotton cultivation is so intensive, taking around 10,000 and 20,000 gallons of water to make just one pair of jeans, and up to 3000 to produce a T-shirt. In fact, the immense amount of water used in the process has almost made the Aral Sea disappear! It has been deemed as one of the world's worst environmental disasters by the UN. You can see for yourself in the satellite images of the Aral Sea below, how much it has shrunk the span of just 19 years.
Shrinking of the Aral Sea. (Right: 1989. Left: 2008)
As if that wasn’t bad enough, cotton farming uses incredibly hazardous pesticides and chemicals that seep into the soil and nearby water resources, impacting the environment and local communities. According to The World Counts, groundwater at depths up to 150 meters is often polluted with said pesticide. And as a result, approximately 85% of the population suffers from various health complications as a result of unsafe drinking water.
ANIMAL-BASED FIBERS (FUR, LEATHER, WOOL)
Animal-based fibers have always had a place in human history. Before the arrival of man-made fibres, they’ve been used in clothing, trading, religious rituals, utilitarian products, and so on. However, the production and treatment of animal-based fibers have always been done at the expense of the animals and our planet.
Photo by ChiccoDodiFC/Shutterstock
Fur and Wool: According to PETA, 85% of the fur industry’s skins come from animals living captive in fur factory farms. In order to cut costs and maximise their profits, fur farmers pack animals into small cages, causing distress and anguish to the animals. The animals are then poisoned, impaled, or electrocuted to death as fur farmers strip the animals of their fur. In some cases, the animals are skinned alive.
Aside from the animal rights violations, wearing fur contributes to the destruction of the environment. Fur is not biodegradable, thanks to the chemical treatment applied to preserve the fur. The wastewaters are often poorly managed or simply discharged into waterways, contaminating water supplies and poisoning the ecosystem.
Photo by serman/iStockphots
Leather: With every purchase of anything made from animal leather, we are sentencing an animal to inhumane treatment and suffering. Like the treatment of fur and wool, leather treatment involves the use of harsh chemicals like chromium for tanning purposes. Another fact that is constantly left out of conversations about leather manufacturing, is that leather produces a hefty amount of methane, which is at least 20 times as strong as a greenhouse gas like carbon dioxide. Besides, the carbon footprint emitted by the raising of cattle and transportation of leather spawns devastating effects to the planet, like climate change.
There are of course exceptions of the case. Thankfully, many brands have started to utilize more sustainable alternatives for their clothing. For example, recycled wool and cotton are great alternatives as they require much less water in the production process. Recycled polyester requires half the energy used to make virgin polyester, and also saves plastic from piling up in landfills. Still, that doesn’t solve the issue of microplastics shed by polyester, thus there is still much work to do in terms of developing a biodegradable form of polyester.
For the sustainably conscious shopper, stay tuned for our next article where we’ll talk about the best fabrics for the environment, so you can make a better choice in purchasing decisions that are in line with your commitment to sustainable, yet chic fashion!
We also give out fabric swatches so you can feel the difference between unsustainable fabrics and sustainable, yet functional fabrics. Click the button below to request for our swatches!
