Microfibers in our Clothing: How Fast Fashion is Polluting the Environment
Zara, H&M, Shein. These Brands provide us with stylish and fashionable clothing at a low cost. The reason why these articles of clothing come at a cheaper cost is because they are made with synthetic fibers. Providing uniformity, durability, and versatility to clothing, synthetic fibers allow brands to pump out inexpensive yet trendy clothing at an extremely fast pace, and fuel the phenomena of fast fashion1. Many know fast fashion as harmful due to cheap labor costs through underage work and abysmal working conditions but are unaware of the drastic environmental and health effects of fast fashion. Today, scientists estimate that textiles produce 35% of microplastic pollution in the world's oceans making it the largest contributor to microplastic pollution.
Synthetic fibers are made from synthesized chemicals, known as polymers, and are derived from petrochemicals. The polymers are then processed and formed into fibers, creating materials such as polyester, nylon, and acrylic fabrics. The use of fossil fuels in synthetic makes the fashion industry a large contributor to global warming and microplastics in the environment and our bodies. As the synthetic fibers degrade over time, tiny microfibers can break through the fabric. The consistent washing of clothing with synthetic fibers as well as the fibers being exposed to UV radiation when worn in the sun consistently contributes to its degradation. Washing clothing in high-efficiency washing machines tears away at the fabrics and microplastics detach from the fabric. These microplastics are so minuscule that they often pass through wastewater treatment facilities, and end up in our waters. The polymers that synthetic fibers are made up of are a long chain of molecules and can degrade when exposed to UV radiation, with about 65% of microplastics being emitted into the environment just by the wearing of garments. The radiation causes the fabric to break down and release harmful chemicals into the air that are used to make the fibers. These chemicals can have detrimental effects on the body, such as disrupting endocrine functions in the body. The production of clothing from synthetic fibers also releases microfibers in the air, which puts those who make the clothing at risk as well.
How do we go about preventing the release of microfibers into the environment? A potential solution is shopping sustainably. There are hundreds of sustainable brands that do not profit off of inexpensive labor and synthetic fibers, such as Patagonia and Levi’s. The clothing from these brands tends to run on the expensive, and “thrifting”2 may be a better alternative. Thrifting encourages the reuse and prolongation of the lifespan of clothing. By purchasing second-hand goods, the clothing is diverted from landfills and reduces the need for new products, indirectly decreasing microfiber pollution associated with the manufacturing of new garments.
