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Microplastic pollution from synthetic fabrics can be found all over the world – from Mount Everest, the highest point on the planet, to the Mariana Trench, the deepest ocean trench on Earth. For eco-conscious fashion designers, retailers and brands, the concern is how to deal with the problem of microplastics – from fabric to clothing quality to product quantity.
In fashion, the problem with microplastics comes from the widespread use of synthetic chemicals such as polyester, acrylic and nylon. Such synthetic and petroleum-based materials make up 69 percent of textile fibers. Approximately 342 million barrels of oil are needed each year to produce synthetic fibers, according to a BBVA OpenMind study. As 85 percent of textile waste ends up in landfills, microfibers from these petroleum-based garments enter the environment during production, use, and end-of-life. Like natural fibers, which degrade over time and return to the earth, petroleum-based clothing does not decompose for hundreds if not decades, allowing microfibers to blow through the air and seep into soil, air, and water. In addition, if synthetic clothing is incinerated in landfills, the fibers may release pollutants into the atmosphere.
According to Timo Rissanen, a fashion and textile researcher and associate professor at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia, it is technically possible for the fashion industry to transform the global problem of microplastics into natural fibers, but changing the business mindset and values are areas where fashion systems have challenges.
“Petrochemical-derived fibers have created the perception that there are no real limits to the amount of clothing we can produce today,” Rissanen said in an interview with Cotton Incorporated. Lifestyle control™ “Unlimited growth is a suicidal illusion. Also, the problem of petrochemical-based fibers is two-fold: the problem of extraction and plastic pollution, including microplastic pollution. Show me a place where oil or gas is extracted that is somehow ‘ethical’ or ‘neutral’. We are fashionably sophisticated.
This close association with petroleum-based clothing can become even more problematic as consumers become more environmentally conscious. The majority of consumers (66 percent) who are aware of microplastic pollution know that most of it comes from washing clothes made from synthetic fibers, according to 2022 Cotton Inc. Lifestyle control™ survey. And nearly two-thirds of consumers (65 percent) who are aware of microfiber pollution say this awareness will influence their future clothing decisions. What’s more, 63 percent are bothered by brands and retailers that use synthetic fibers in their clothing because of plastic microfiber pollution.
Premium denim brand DL1961 – tagline: “The Circular Denim Company” – has partnered with Recover, a post-consumer textile science company and low-impact, high-quality recycled cotton fiber and cotton fiber blends. Going into 2023, every product in the DL1961 line will contain reclaimed recycled cotton fibers.
Three-quarters of consumers (75 percent) say they are interested in recycling clothing as a sustainability initiative in the fashion industry. monitor™ research. And nearly one-third of consumers (34 percent) say they’d be willing to pay more for clothing produced through recycled clothing. In addition, a third say they want to recycle old clothes into new clothes (34 percent) through recycled clothing.
“Working with Recover is another step in our journey toward betterment, and that’s what we stand for when it comes to sustainability and transparency,” said Nicky Clay, head of global sales for DL 1961 Men’s, at the recent Project New York trade show. Interview with monitor™
When it comes to combating microplastic pollution, Clay says, “Brands need to do their homework. Are you getting behind the habits you care about and really understanding what you’re doing? Now, any opportunity you can take to make a safe product, you should explore. And if people understand costs, if you educate your consumers on why your product is more expensive, you’ll be giving them information to help them make a decision.
More than a third (49 percent) of consumers say sustainability or environmental friendliness is important when deciding what clothing to buy. monitor™ research. Additionally, almost half of all consumers (47 percent) use the term ‘sustainable clothing’ to mean long-lasting or durable, followed by eco-friendly (23 percent), renewable/recyclable (18 percent) and natural/healthy (7 percent) they say. ). Many say cotton clothing is the most durable (76 percent), highest-quality (71 percent) and longest-lasting (59 percent) synthetic fiber clothing.
Esteban Saba, founder and CEO of Handvark, a Southampton, NY-based clothing brand whose company uses only natural fibers, is the “poster child for slow fashion.”
“I think making minimalist clothes, making non-trendy things, making sustainable clothes … that’s the long-term answer,” Saba said in an interview at the recent Men’s/Women’s trade show in New York. monitor™ “I think there’s a very young consumer who is very ideological in what they’re saying, but there’s a financial barrier, so they go to these fast fashion brands. For us, our consumer is a professional, quality-loving worker who invests in something sustainable. He’s not looking for the next trendy thing; He wants something well-made.
Saba’s comments echo the sentiments behind the legislative package proposed by the European Commission, which aims to standardize sustainable textiles in the EU, a strategy that promotes and addresses quality, sustainability, long-term use, maintenance and recycling. Unauthorized release of microplastics from textiles. Risanen’s view that there is a need for a new generation of fibers to replace conventional synthetics such as polyester and the need to reduce the size of current garments is similar to such measures.
“This is an extremely difficult project that requires some centralized, international work and a lot of specialized work around the world,” Risanen says. “The fiber mix can include recycled fibers, although plastic fibers that are not compatible with biological systems, including recycled polyester, should be avoided, because these still contribute to microplastic pollution. When the performance qualities of plastic polyesters are needed, renewable and biodegradable fibers should be prepared. It needs to be done. What continues to concern me is our general willingness to extract more microplastics without realizing the full impact they have on human health and the health of other creatures. It speaks to our deep connection with the Earth and ourselves.
Cotton’s Integrated Lifestyle Monitor™ survey is an ongoing research program that measures consumer attitudes and behaviors related to apparel, marketing, fashion, sustainability and more.
For more information about the Lifestyle Monitor™ survey, please visit https://lifestylemonitor.cottoninc.com/
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