Hello! I was looking through Zara’s website just to see what kind of textiles they use in their products. One of the textiles that they currently use is recycled polyester. Although it is a good thing that the company is using a more sustainable version of this plastic by recycling discarded water bottles, however, there are still environmental impacts that arise from the usage of polyester in fast fashion.
Source: Zara’s Website. https://www.zara.com/au/en/sustainability-products-l1455.html
Polyester is a man-made synthetic fibre that is also known as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and it is a type of plastic (What Is Polyester? The 8 Most Vital Questions Answered, 2019). It is a material usually used to make into clothes by the fashion industry as it cheaper to produce and manufacture than non-manmade fabrics as they do not require agricultural land (Young, 2019). However, this material can have detrimental effects on the environment and this can come in the form of microplastic pollution.
Microplastic pollution is caused by the washing of synthetic fabrics such as polyester. Therefore, everytime we wash our clothes made of polyester in the washing machine, there is mechanical and chemical stress applied to the fabric (De Falco, Di Pace, Cocca and Avella, 2019). This causes microfibres of plastic to be dislodged and broken off in the washing machine. The water is used to wash our clothes is then transported to water treatment plants. However, many water treatment plants are not able to remove these microplastics and they end up being deposited into our lakes, rivers and seas (Fashion’s tiny hidden secret, 2019). According to the UN environmental programme website, laundry causes approximately “half a million tonnes of plastic microfibres to be released into the ocean every year- equivalent of almost three billion polyester shirts (Fashion’s tiny hidden secret, 2019). The International Union for Conservation of Nature reports that 35% of microplastic pollution comes from the washing of these synthetic fibres (Brodde, 2017).
Microplastic pollution is transboundary and can be found in all water bodies of the world and are able to absorb hazardous chemicals (Galloway & Lewis, 2016).. These microplastics are so small that they are commonly mistaken for food by aquatic animals living in oceans, rivers and lakes. This could lead to bioaccumulation and biomagnification of microplastics across different trophic levels (Galloway & Lewis, 2016).. Many times, these microplastics are eventually ingested by humans as they are found in some of our food such as fish. These microplastics can affect both ecosystems as well as the health of both humans and animals. They can cause many physiological problems such as changes in hormonal functions in the body due to the chemicals present in the microplastics that was absorbed or when it breaks down (Galloway & Lewis, 2016).
It is funny and scary at the same to think how much our daily actions that are seemingly harmless can caused extremely large impacts on the environment and on our health. I have attached a video that further shows you the problem of microplastics rcaused by the fashion industry. In the next blogpost, I will be sharing how environmental pollution has been combated over the years and how we as individuals can reduce the pollution that we contribute. Thank you!
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10155941423465884&extid=spBp1FMd8kq3hSuChttp://
References:
Brodde, K., 2017. What Are Microfibers And Why Are Our Clothes Polluting The Oceans? – Greenpeace International. [online] Greenpeace International. Available at: <https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/6956/what-are-microfibers-and-why-are-our-clothes-polluting-the-oceans/> [Accessed 13 September 2020].
Contrado, 2019. What Is Polyester? The 8 Most Vital Questions Answered. Available at: <https://www.contrado.co.uk/blog/what-is-polyester-a-closer-look-into-this-love-it-or-hate-it-fabric/).> [Accessed 13 September 2020].
De Falco, F., Di Pace, E., Cocca, M. and Avella, M., 2019. The contribution of washing processes of synthetic clothes to microplastic pollution. Scientific Reports, [online] 9(6633). Available at: <https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-43023-x> [Accessed 13 September 2020].
Galloway, T. and Lewis, C., 2016. Marine microplastics spell big problems for future generations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, [online] 113(9), pp.2331-2333. Available at: <https://www.pnas.org/content/113/9/2331> [Accessed 13 September 2020].
UN Environment. 2019. Fashion’S Tiny Hidden Secret. [online] Available at: <https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/fashions-tiny-hidden-secret> [Accessed 13 September 2020].
Young, S., 2019. The real cost of your clothes: These are the fabrics with the best and worst environmental impact. The Independent UK, [online] Available at: <https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/fabrics-environment-fast-fashion-eco-friendly-pollution-waste-polyester-cotton-fur-recycle-a8963921.html> [Accessed 13 September 2020].
Greenspace Video:
The Story of Stuff Project, 2017. The Story Of Microfibers. Available at: <https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10155941423465884&extid=spBp1FMd8kq3hSuC> [Accessed 13 September 2020].
Images
Zara, 2020. INCORPORATING NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND MATERIALS IN THE PRODUCTION PROCESSES OF OUR GARMENTS HELPS US TO IMPLEMENT MORE SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES IN OUR SUPPLY CHAIN.. [image] Available at: <https://www.zara.com/au/en/sustainability-products-l1455.html> [Accessed 13 September 2020].
Feature Image:
The American Ceramic Society, 2019. “Spring” Cleanup: Carbon Nanosprings Break Down Marine Microplastic Pollution. [image] Available at: <https://ceramics.org/ceramic-tech-today/environment/spring-cleanup-carbon-nanosprings-break-down-marine-microplastic-pollution> [Accessed 13 September 2020].