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Researchers have discovered that waste from the global apparel industry is leaking millions of tons of plastic into the environment each year and may be getting worse over time.

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[-] pfr 79 points 6 days ago

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.

[-] Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io 33 points 6 days ago

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/

[-] dditty@lemm.ee 15 points 6 days ago

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.

[-] P1nkman@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

If you still have fleece clothing, get a Guppy friend!

[-] Hawke@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

What have you found for an alternative?

[-] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 8 points 5 days ago

look into alpaca fleece like from appalachian gear company

[-] Hawke@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago

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.

[-] spidermanchild@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 days ago

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.

[-] hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 4 days ago

Don't leave out linen! Warmer than cotton but cooler than wool.

[-] Hawke@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

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.

[-] ThePyroPython@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago

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.

[-] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 10 points 6 days ago

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

[-] Dkarma@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

TJ Maxx is a reseller ..lol if anything they keep the factory 2nds out of landfills

[-] waitmarks@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

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.

[-] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 days ago

Even the Patagonia polar fleece is a fucking horrible microplastic shredder.

[-] frayedpickles@lemmy.cafe 9 points 4 days ago

When was this overlooked? Maybe you overlooked it but there have been articles on it for years.

[-] 7rokhym@lemmy.ca 42 points 6 days ago

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.

[-] P1nkman@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

"Vegan leather" is just so fucking funny. Especially when vegans praise it, and then you tell them that it's literally just plastic.

[-] Spacenut@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

Plastic is bad for the environment. Leather is worse. The most sustainable thing to do is to use neither.

https://www.collectivefashionjustice.org/leather

[-] P1nkman@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

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.

[-] hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 4 days ago

Linen my beloved, polyester can rot in hell.

[-] kurikai@lemmy.world 34 points 6 days ago

I hate polyester. Cotton feels so much nicer

[-] purplemonkeymad@programming.dev 6 points 5 days ago

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.

[-] the_artic_one@programming.dev 2 points 4 days ago

Viscose isn't artificial, it's made of processed cellulose (wood pulp or bamboo).

[-] hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 4 days ago

Really? I thought it was plastic too...

[-] chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

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!

[-] AA5B@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago

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

[-] Imacat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 27 points 6 days ago

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.

[-] Hawke@lemmy.world 9 points 5 days ago

Polyester might look nicer longer but it feels all gross and like… almost slimy on the skin. Plus it stinks.

As someone who follows fashion...the amount of waste in the clothing industry, particularly from "fast fashion", has been a huge topic for decades.

[-] GhiLA@sh.itjust.works 5 points 4 days ago

here's another reason why you're all gonna die!

In the pile with the others...

[-] ramsorge@discuss.online 8 points 5 days ago

Ironically one of the few industries who could actually use recycled plastic

[-] hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 4 days ago

Clothing shouldn't be made with plastic in the first place. Synthetic fibers suck ass.

[-] ramsorge@discuss.online 1 points 4 days ago
[-] P1nkman@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

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!

[-] ramsorge@discuss.online 1 points 4 days ago

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.

[-] P1nkman@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

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.

[-] ramsorge@discuss.online 2 points 4 days ago

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?

[-] P1nkman@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

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!

[-] ramsorge@discuss.online 2 points 4 days ago

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.

[-] hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone 0 points 4 days ago

Fabric can be made water-resistant without plastic.

[-] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

Exactly. I try to avoid it at all costs. Doesn't breathe, and is horrible for the environment.

[-] kipo@lemm.ee 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

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.

[-] ramsorge@discuss.online 3 points 4 days ago

Hmm. I guess we’re just fucked.

[-] cocobean@bookwormstory.social 1 points 4 days ago

Well wtf man

[-] henfredemars@infosec.pub 11 points 6 days ago

It was years before I knew that polyester was even a plastic that can give off toxic chemicals or micro plastics.

this post was submitted on 16 Dec 2024
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