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The clothing industry is an overlooked plastic pollution source
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this post was submitted on 16 Dec 2024
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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 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.
If you still have fleece clothing, get a Guppy friend!
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.