Have you ever thought about what happens to the clothing you throw or give away ? Well, according to earth.org globally, we threw away approximately 90 million tons of clothing last year which ended up in landfill. If that is not shocking enough, most of that clothing was worn less than ten times before it was tossed and alarmingly, the consumption and production of inexpensive fashion is still accelerating.
Quantity over Quality
A few factors make it possible for fast fashion producers to make new trendy clothing fast and inexpensively, such as cheap labor and a business model which prioritizes quantity over quality. Specifically, clothing which is made from synthetic fabrics like polyester, acrylic, spandex and microfiber are widely used for fast fashion. These fabrics are often cheaper than natural fibers like cotton, linen and wool. Just take a look at the fabric content labels the next time you shop at your favorite big name retailer.
Natural vs Synthetic
Synthetic fabrics as their name suggests are man-made. And some of these are made from fibers derived from plastics and petrochemicals. Some synthetic fabrics are also made from natural fibers derived from plants, but produced using a chemically assisted process. As you might guess, the synthetic fabrics derived from plastics and petrochemicals are, just like the plastic water bottle you throw away, going to sit in our landfills for generations to come. If the polyester dress you bought on a whim last summer ends up in landfill this summer it will still be there long after your grandchildren's children are gone. A polyester dress will not biodegrade. Not only that but clothing made from synthetic fibers also shed micro-plastics into our water supply and make their way into oceans, rivers and lakes.
Natural fabrics can be divided into those made from plants and those from animal sources. Cotton, linen and hemp are plant-based fibers while wool and silk fibers are from animals. All of these natural fibers are bio-degradable which means that they will slowly break down and return to the soil.
The Bio-degradable Dress
I was curious how long it would take for a cotton dress to biodegrade and I was surprised by how quickly this dress showed significant signs of decay. Last winter I buried the dress before the rainy season laying it down in a low area so that it would stay damp. I came back in the spring to dig up the dress and found it full of lacy holes, earthy prints and even hosting a few small creatures. All this happened in about four months ! I believe that it wouldn't take more than a year or so for it to come full circle and return to the soil from which it was grown. Imagine if all our clothes could be composted at the end of their useable life-cycle, after years of wear, and some repairs and passing on to family or friends ? What would that reality look like ?
Certainly not this, which is our current reality.
Your Choice
Every choice we make as consumers makes a small difference. By choosing to wear natural fiber clothing over synthetic, and by wearing and caring for your clothing for years before throwing it away, you can help diminish the world's textile waste.
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