Growing awareness of fashion's impact on the environment has changed the way clothes are designed. Today, the most responsible brands avoid certain materials known to be among the biggest polluters.
There are 2 families of polluters: new synthetic fibres, which rely on finite, non-renewable raw materials (and whose processing is often polluting too), and fibres that come from polluting manufacturing processes.
Synthetic fibres
Synthetic fibres are made by turning petroleum into fibre for clothing. It was in the... that these fibres became widespread, as they are cheaper to produce and (in some cases) very hard-wearing. So in 2020, there was more than ... of these fibres produced compared with natural or artificial fibres. Their negative impact on the environment comes from processing, but also from wearing these clothes. The microparticles released each time synthetic clothes are washed are a huge source of water pollution.
Here are detailed articles for each material:
💬 Acrylic
💬 Elastane
💬 EVA
💬 Lurex
💬 Lycra
💬 Nylon
💬 Polyurethane
Fibres from polluting processing methods
Whether it's growing a fibre like cotton, which needs a lot of water and today is unfortunately mostly GM cotton requiring more and more pesticides and insecticides, or processing methods such as the one used for viscose, these fibres are known to be particularly polluting.
💬 Cotton
💬 Viscose
💬 Bamboo
The special case of textile fibres from animal materials
In terms of overall environmental impact, animal materials are very polluting because of the impact of livestock farming. On the other hand, they are sometimes also the most durable materials. That's why we've set them apart.
💬 Cashmere
💬 Leather
💬 Wool
💬 Silk
