where are plastics found in fashion
Fabric production and material processing is a step in the life cycle of a garment that consumes a significant amount of energy. In this stage, the raw material described above is turned into a fabric. For synthetic fibres, this means turning it into a yarn, and then either weaving or knitting it. A lot of fibres can also be made into non-wovens, or in the case of leathers, this step is completely different.
Vertically integrated facilities will generally blend their pre-consumer and post-industrial waste into their products at this stage too and like we learned in the raw materials stage, we want to continue to increase the amount of recycled fibres in our clothes :) But let's keep them microplastic free.
If you have never thought about the difference between natural materials and fossil based fibres, take a moment to look in your wardrobe and check some labels for nylon, polyester and acrylic. How many of your clothes don’t contain even 2% plastic? Very few, right?
Clothes – especially fast fashion – are made of these cheap synthetic fibres. Polyester, nylon, acrylic, and spandex are some of the primary synthetic fibres derived from plastic polymers like polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyamide.
These fibres were introduced in fabric design for their strength, elasticity, and resistance to wrinkles, making them ideal for a wide range of apparel, from athletic wear to everyday garments. At the time, it wasn’t known that microplastics, tiny plastic particles less than five millimetres in size, would become a huge concern for human and ecosystem health. Microplastics can shed from synthetic fabrics during washing and wear, finding their way into the environment and even into our bodies through ingestion or inhalation.
