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Front line experts are raising the alarm about the impacts of micro-plastics in the oceans & our bodies, but are fabrics made from natural fibres really the answer?

In a perfect world I’d reassure you that choosing natural fabrics for your home & wardrobe is the obvious choice – but it’s not actually that simple.

Natural fabrics have the potential to be more planet and & health friendly but the final verdict depends on a number of factors aside from the source of the fibres themselves, including:

  • Agricultural practices used to produce the fibre
  • Manufacturing processes that the fibres undergo
  • The distance the fibres have to travel before purchase
  • Laundry practices during the life of the garment after purchase
  • How a garment or textile is disposed of at the end of its lifespan

There is more to the question than just a fibre’s origin

The reality is a bit more complicated that simply opting for the 100% cotton choice when it’s presented to us. How deep you go down that rabbit hole depends on what your motives are for even looking for an answer in the first place. The right answer is going to look a bit different for everyone.

I have always intuitively preferred natural fabrics for my closet. Frankly, I prefer the way they feel compared to their synthetic counterparts. I can almost always spot the synthetic garment before I check the tag. More often then not, I find myself putting an item back on the rack & walking away from the polyester, nylon or acrylic items no matter how cute.

Are micro-fibres always from synthetic sources?

While researching this article, though, I was surprised to learn how much of the micro-fibre pollution in the oceans is actually cellulose (plant-based) and not synthetic sources as I had always assumed.

The explanation makes sense though, when you think about it.

All bets are off once a fibre is harvested &shipped off to a textile manufacturing. It doesn’t matter how superior of a fibre cotton is naturally when the manufacturing process manipulates it so much that it becomes almost unrecognizable.

Cotton, or any other other ‘natural fibre” can be processed according to GOTS rules & guidelines, or it could be run through any number of chemical baths. In an effort to market garments behave like synthetics suddenly that super natural fibre might as well be soaked in gasoline for all the good it’s doing floating in the ocean.

Don’t get discouraged

If that kind of bombshell leaves you feeling defeated then stay with me for a just a minute.

Is it better to wear natural fabric?

Almost any comparison test you could use to test the two categories will come out in favour of natural. There is a natural choice that will better perform than whatever cheaper, more widely available synthetic fibre has replaced it.

The issue of plant-based micro fibres persisting in oceanic plastic trash points the issue not to the fibres themselves. The problem lies in the manufacturing process that the fibres goes through. By making a fibre like cotton stain resistant or wrinkle resistant we are changing the way that fibre behaves. Subsequently we also change how readily it breaks down once it has truly outlived its usefulness.

Why not just recycle already existing textiles?

Certainly, an argument can be made in favour of recycling already existing synthetic fabrics & textiles. Our landfills & waterways are inundated with fashion trash. Much of it is exported at a cost to the global south to manage. Recycling textiles sounds like an obvious solution, and many new companies are starting up around this idea.

Presently, only 25% of garments get up-cycled or sold as second hand. A staggering 80lbs per person per year leave our closets & head directly to the landfill.

Developing the supply chains and the technology to divert those garments from the landfill and re-purpose them is a commendable endeavour. My preference though for natural fabrics against my skin and in my home stands. Recycled & diverted from a landfill or not – it’ll never be my first choice to wear nylon when a wool alternative exists. That’s because of the superiority of natural fabrics.

There are plenty of potential uses for post-consumer synthetic fabrics outside of our homes and away from our bodies. I just don’t see the informed consumer choosing to wear a fossil fuel-derived garment against their skin. Even if the recycling could happen at a scale to actually make an impact on the climate’s bottom line.

What are the main advantages of natural fabrics?

If you’ve come this far and you’re still not entire sure why natural fibres make for better textiles – let me try to explain it how I see it.

  • non-allergenic Broadly speaking, natural fabrics and fibres are less likely to irritate sensitive skin or cause reactions. If wool irritates your skin – try alpaca!
  • Biodegradable Natural fibres will break down more readily and have a measurable half life unlike synthetic counterparts.
  • smaller carbon footprint Natural fibres produce a fraction of the CO2 emissions tracked for the production of synthetics.
  • durability Long lasting and hard wearing, natural fibres have the potential to become heirloom pieces when cared for properly.
  • performance Whether its silk’s ability to insulate or wool’s self extinguishing capabilities when exposed to fire – natural fabrics out perform their generic synthetic counterparts by almost all measures.

Why are natural materials better than synthetic?

I believe the shortcomings of synthetic fabric can be traced back to the fact that we are trying to replicate the performance of a natural fabric, but trying to achieve the same result for a fraction of the cost. Synthetics are a knock off of the real deal.

I feel the same way about butter vs margarine for what its worth.

Economics aside I fail to understand any benefit in trying to reinvent anything when a perfect version already exists.

What are the benefits of natural fibres in clothing?

Specifically looking at our wardrobes, natural fabrics are a no-brainer. Superior breathability & moisture absorption, natural fabrics also possess antimicrobial properties & have better tensile memory. These are all good things for our skin – the body’s largest organ. An important shortcoming of synthetics is the way they behave when exposed to heat; they melt.

Beyond the performance though I do want to take a minute to talk about supply chains – because this is a big lynch pin in this entire line of thought.

Beyond natural vs synthetic

The same lessons that we have learned from the local food movement can be applied to our closets as well. The shorter the chain between producers of the raw fibres & the end user the better. The difficulty with this common sense approach is that the textiles industry is orders of magnitude more complex than simply growing a pumpkin or raising a chicken & selling it directly through a market or a CSA.

Traceability, transparency & accountability need to exist at every level of the system in order to be believable or reliable.

Local fabric & textile manufacturing has long been a victim of a globalized economy. We are all well aware of the social & environmental ills that anonymous, convoluted & consequence-free supply chains have produced.

This is a much broader & bigger topic to tackle – & it’s one I will undoubtedly return to again & again. For now, it’s enough to say buy local whenever you can. For you that might mean buying from small boutiques that sell domestically-manufactured garments or maybe it means buying fabric from a local supplier even though the fabrics are processed off shore. Trust your local small businesses to source as ethically as they can – because you’re doing the same thing.

Take-aways

Choosing natural fabrics and textiles for our homes and wardrobes isn’t an overnight switch I expect anyone to make. This is a process that happens best gradually. In the meantime, if you want to make a difference, one area you can have an immediate effect is your laundry routine.

I’ll close this post with a few tips & tricks to keep laundry day as earth-friendly as possible.

  • Invest in a high efficiency washer/dryer
  • Dry clothes passively whenever possible – either on a line or on a rack
  • Wear clothes longer between washes (your clothes will last longer!)
  • Opt for biodegradable soaps
  • Skip the fabric softener altogether
  • Use dryer balls instead of dryer sheets
  • Use a dryer with a high quality filter – & clean that filter regularly
  • Dispose of lint properly to prevent micro-fibres from entering your local watershed

Remember, what’s good for the planet is good for you!

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