More than half of all textiles produced each year include plastic. Now the urgent search is on for a more sustainable way to clothe the world. A 2016 study by the University of California at Santa Barbara found that, on average, polyester fleece jackets release 1.7 grams of plastic microfibres each time they go into the wash.
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It was sheep shearing day on my grandpa’s ranch in the mid-20th century, and all I knew was that I was having fun. Everyone, including Grandpa, was clad in blue denim jeans on this sunny day. Gathered with other neighboring small-scale ranchers, we sheared and then stuffed and stomped wool into the gigantic bag that would be taken to market.
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Even before it gets worn once, that new T-shirt you bought is already dirtier than you can imagine. It’s soaked through with toxic waste, factory smog and plastic debris—all of which is likely just a few spin cycles away from an incinerator, or maybe a landfill halfway around the world.
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Scientists are ramping up research on the possible health effects of a large group of common but little-understood chemicals used in water-resistant clothing, stain-resistant furniture, nonstick cookware and many other consumer products.
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Lauren Cowdery is flicking through the rails of the Cancer Research charity shop in Goole, east Yorkshire. “Too bobbly!” she tuts at a ribbed top. “This skirt is big but it would be easy to take in … ” Cowdery appears to be shopping, but she is merely browsing. She is on a mission not to buy any new clothes, even ones that have recently belonged to someone else.
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The food chain is an ordered series of organisms, each dependent on the previous as a source of food. This process has fed the planet from the beginning of time and isn’t changing anytime soon. However, what’s finally ending up on your plate is far different than it was just 70 years ago.
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"Buy less. Choose well. Make it last. Quality, not quantity. Everybody's buying far too many clothes." These words, spoken by British fashion icon Vivienne Westwood, are resonating with more and more people these days. As we grow tired of pawing through packed wardrobes and spending money on 'cute' outfits with a less-than-perfect fit and shoddy construction, there is renewed interest in buying better, buying less, and striving for true style over trendiness.
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In not-so-distant times gone by, revealing the dress some had just complimented you on to be a cheap high street find was not only a pretty solid basis for impromptu bonding, but also a prerequisite for proving your #relatable social status. The inference being, ‘yeah don’t worry, I’m skint too’.
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Every year, the average American throws away 70 pounds of clothing, sending massive amounts of textiles to landfills or incinerators and contributing to the emission of hazardous greenhouse gases, which speeds up climate change. There’s no question that the rise of fast fashion and the ever-increasing rate at which consumers are discarding clothes has contributed to fashion’s serious environmental problem.
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When perchloroethylene (PERC) was introduced to the dry cleaning industry in the 1930s, it must have seemed like a miracle solvent. It cleans clothes well and – most importantly – it is nonflammable. This is in contrast to the previous solvents, like Stoddard solvent, gasoline, turpentine, and even benzene. Unfortunately...
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