It's hardly overlooked. It's been widely known for many years that cheap fast fashion is one of the worlds worst pollutants. Stop buying from shein, h&m, tkmax, and all the others. Buy quality clothing that will last a few years at least.
this post was submitted on 16 Dec 2024
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This is nothing new, nor overlooked, you are precisely correct. For Example: Aug 2023: 10 Concerning Fast Fashion Waste Statistics https://earth.org/statistics-about-fast-fashion-waste/
Nov 2022: The environmental costs of fast fashion https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/environmental-costs-fast-fashion
Feb 2019: Fashion has a huge waste problem. Here's how it can change https://www.weforum.org/stories/2019/02/how-the-circular-economy-is-redesigning-fashions-future/
Yeah I've known about this for at least 4 years. I no longer buy North Face fleeces (my favorite garments 😢) because they shed microplastics while doing laundry.
What have you found for an alternative?
look into alpaca fleece like from appalachian gear company
I’ll check it out. Sadly it seems that AGC is out of business.
Any other recommendations for brands? I’ve tried Realfleece merino wool and it was warm and comfy but not terribly durable, and breathtakingly expensive.
Do you have to wear fleece? Cotton and wool flannels and shirts, and nylon down or synthetic puffies will shed dramatically fewer microplastics. Could do more of a canvas jacket instead of puffy but I live in Colorado so it's puffies all the way down. I don't own any fleece and don't miss it at all.
Don't leave out linen! Warmer than cotton but cooler than wool.
Obviously I don’t have to but I find it a comfortable and convenient form and style… a little more than a shirt, a little less than an outdoor jacket. Perfect for the range of 0-20 degrees, inside or out.
Flannel as a material is okay, but I can’t stand tartan.
Ok I agree with the sentiment about the first two retailers, but tkmax is an outlet store that doesn't produce it's own clothing, suitcases, etc. it resells surplus stock. If anything, it's better for the environment because it stops that stuff from going to landfill.
most of what tj maxx sells is lower quality stuff made specifically for them by major brands. i get where you're coming from on the surface level examination, but as you peel the layers back you find the way the contracts work is they're who most of the worst textile poluters are who's doing their polution through. a better solution is to buy higher quality clothes from smaller brands that don't sell through wholesale models at all
TJ Maxx is a reseller ..lol if anything they keep the factory 2nds out of landfills
They are still part of and support that industry. It's part of how they can overproduce cheap crap. If it doesnt sell at the higher price outlets, throw it over the next level of discount store until it does. They make you feel like you are getting a good deal, but the clothing companies still make profit and still get encouraged to pump out the cheapest garbage possible.
Even the Patagonia polar fleece is a fucking horrible microplastic shredder.
When was this overlooked? Maybe you overlooked it but there have been articles on it for years.
I forgot my bags at the grocery store, so I told the clerk I'd like to buy one of their expensive plastic bags. She denied they had plastic bags anymore. I explained polyester. She was shocked.
People have no clue. Nylon, PVC, PET, spandex, and the most insane, vegan leather. Turns out, polyurethane is not made out of vegans.
"Vegan leather" is just so fucking funny. Especially when vegans praise it, and then you tell them that it's literally just plastic.
Plastic is bad for the environment. Leather is worse. The most sustainable thing to do is to use neither.
Of course it is, and I never stated otherwise. "But what can the cards seats be made out of then?" is an answer I once got. Answer: cotton.
Linen my beloved, polyester can rot in hell.
As someone who follows fashion...the amount of waste in the clothing industry, particularly from "fast fashion", has been a huge topic for decades.
I hate polyester. Cotton feels so much nicer
I literally can't wear it. Along with other artificial fibers (viscose and polyester especially) they cause me to come out in hives where it touches my skin. Cotton and soft wools are pretty much the only thing what I can wear.
Viscose isn't artificial, it's made of processed cellulose (wood pulp or bamboo).
Really? I thought it was plastic too...
Thank you! I tried wearing a new pair of polyester socks today and within an hour it felt like I was wearing socks made of pink fibreglass insulation!
I switched to cotton t-shirts 5-10 years ago, thinking the same thing. However my first set of cotton t-shirts has worn out and needed to be replaced, whereas I still have polyester t-shirts from before that that look much nicer.
Polyester has advantages in durability, stain resistance, wrinkle resistance, and can be much thinner and lighter. I’m not entirely sure cotton is really better
Some studies estimate about a third of microplastic pollution comes from synthetic textiles. Cotton may require more water and land but at least it doesn’t produce more microplastics.
Polyester might look nicer longer but it feels all gross and like… almost slimy on the skin. Plus it stinks.
here's another reason why you're all gonna die!
In the pile with the others...
Ironically one of the few industries who could actually use recycled plastic
Clothing shouldn't be made with plastic in the first place. Synthetic fibers suck ass.
Tell that to rain coats.
I use wax cotton jackets - keeps the water out AND lasts way longer than rain coats! My orders wax jacket is 10 years old, and still looks new (when I wax it). There are options other than plastic clothing, you just have to look for it, and, in the case of wax jackets and trousers, work a little to keep it in tip top shape!
I think a lot of people would find it challenging and cost prohibitive to wear a wax jacket. They do look nice though. I miss good fashion.
That's very true. I got my first when I did not have a lot of money, but was lucky enough to find a virtually new one at a thrift shop, which started my obsession with them, so when I wanted a new one, nearly a decade later, I saved for months to get one. Though, not everyone is lucky enough to be able to get one, or even be able to save for one.....
Fuck, I hate this simulation. I vote for a complete restart, because this must be the dumbest simulation.
Off topic, perpetuating the concept that we are in a simulation only furthers the idea that nothing matters, and why should we care. Elon is big believer in this, and that’s why he’s such a sociopath. Why Should we be concerned about anything if it’s just a game?
Wait, he does!?! That makes so much sense, considering him wanting to be the person who saves humanity, and that he'll block others from reaching the same goal!
Yeah, he went on about it in some interviews years back. He thinks most of us are NPCs and that there are only a small amount of actual players—if any.
Fabric can be made water-resistant without plastic.
Exactly. I try to avoid it at all costs. Doesn't breathe, and is horrible for the environment.
While this is slightly off topic, they do, and clothes made with recycled plastic contain even higher levels of BPA and BPS than clothes of virgin plastic. Some-to-most bisphenols are removed after washing (BPS more than BPA) but they still either go into the wastewater stream or get absorbed through the skin when wearing.
Between microplastic shedding, bisphenol leakage, and general cross-contamination, most recycled plastics are just more toxic versions of virgin plastics.
Hmm. I guess we’re just fucked.
Well wtf man
It was years before I knew that polyester was even a plastic that can give off toxic chemicals or micro plastics.