Cheap clothing made of cheap fabrics

Today, I would like to continue answering the questions from the first post.

1. What materials and fabrics are for $1 t-shirts and $5 pants?

2. What kind of negative impact does cheap clothing have on water?

3. What kind of negative impact does cheap clothing have on land?

4. What is the cost of cheap clothing for the human body?

   5. Why is washing petrochemical textiles bad?

   
   

   
   

In the first half, I will answer the first question. The second half will cover the latter four questions.

Do you know what materials are used to create what you are wearing? 

Check your tags. Do they say 100% cotton, 100% wool? Or do they say 100% polyester, 50% nylon, 50% spandex? The materials I mentioned later are some examples of materials used to produce cheap garments. These fabrics are made from non-renewable fossil fuels called petrochemical textiles. The examples of petrochemical textiles are..

• Polyester

• Polyurethane

• Rayon

• Spandex

• Nylon

Petrochemical textiles are preferred to be used for fast-fashion garments over textiles like cotton and other plant-based textiles such as wool and silk because they are so much cheaper to manufacture, are stronger, and can be changed microscopically. Fast fashion has increased the demand for petrochemical textiles by at least 30 percent in the last decade. However, it takes a tremendous amount of energy and resources to produce these textiles. 

The cost of using petrochemical textiles is too much of a burden for both the environment and for the human body. Many of the chemicals used to manufacture these textiles are toxic and some are even considered carcinogenic. Since human skin is sensitive, the chemicals can go through our skin when wearing or inhaling. Also, it is toxic to the environment. 

Not just manufacturing these textiles being bad but also the microplastic used has negative effects on the human body and the environment. Out of the 8 million metric tonnes of plastic that ends up in our oceans every year, about 1.5 million tonnes is "microplastic". Microplastics are plastic that's smaller than 5 millimeters. Because of its size, it can easily go through filtration systems and into rivers and oceans. According to a 2017 study by IUCN, around 35 percent of microplastics originate from petrochemical textiles. These microplastics are the fibers that get separated from synthetic fabrics when they are wet and washed. They can then end up in the bellies of marine animals like fish, and consequently in the bellies of those who consume these animals, including humans. The effect of microplastic in the human body is still unknown. 

J.M.K.C. Donev et al. (2020). Energy Education - Petrochemical https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Petrochemical [Accessed: July 7, 2021].

Fast fashion isn't the problem; synthetic fast fashion is. The Manufacturer. (2019, July 31). https://www.themanufacturer.com/articles/fast-fashion-isnt-the-problem-synthetic-fast-fashion-is/ [Accessed: July 7, 2021]

About Petrochemistry - Petrochemicals Europe - Petrochemicals Europe. (2021). https://www.petrochemistry.eu/about-petrochemistry/ [Accessed: July 7, 2021]