The majority of polyesters are not biodegradable. That means that the polyester fur you bought last season will not decompose for 500 years at best and 2000 years at worst, depending on conditions.
What’s more, polyester is, in part, derived from petroleum and the oil manufacturing industry is the world’s largest pollutant.
With every machine wash, says a 2011 paper for the Environmental Science & Technology journal, each garment releases an average of 1,900 tiny particles of plastic, which are then swilled into rivers, lakes, and, eventually, the sea.
New studies show that alarming numbers of tiny fibers from synthetic fabrics are making their way from your washing machine into aquatic animals.
In an alarming study released recently, researchers at the University of California at Santa Barbara found that, on average, synthetic fleece jackets release 1.7 grams of microfibers each wash. It also found that older jackets shed almost twice as many fibers as new jackets. The study was funded by outdoor clothing manufacturer Patagonia, a certified B Corp that also offers grants for environmental work.
In a groundbreaking 2011 paper, Mark Browne, now a senior research associate at the University of New South Wales, Australia, found that microfibers made up 85% of human-made debris on shorelines around the world. source
In another study, of the almost 2,000 aquatic samples researchers have processed. About 90% of the debris was microfibers – both in freshwater and the ocean.
Microfibers are also the second most common type of debris in Lake Michigan, according to Sherri Mason’s research.
In this study, the scientists found plastic fibers from textiles in fish and bivalves sold for human consumption. The research occurred in California, the researchers bought 64 different fishes to search for microfibers. They found that 25% of the fish had anthropogenic microfibers in their GI tract. This proves that polyester can end in our bodies!
Toxic raincoats
The waterproofing of most high-end, rain-proof coats is treated consists of perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), which are persistent and potentially toxic pollutants.
Coating textiles and other materials with PFCs makes them resistant to stains, grease, and water.
These molecules sit on top of the (in most cases nylon) outer fabric. It is like a protective layer of chemical barbed wire – the tip of every barb. This pushes away water molecules, which are too large to pass through the spaces in between. Air molecules can pass through freely, resulting in a non-sweaty, breathable, waterproof jacket.
But, as Dr. Andrew Sweetman, from the Lancaster Environment Centre, points out, lab and field studies have shown that some PFCs can accumulate in the tissues of fish and other wildlife as they consume contaminated food and water – building up a dose that can become harmful.
Essentially, they don’t degrade,” he explains to BBC News. “So if we take samples from waterways, as a result of their widespread use and persistence, we basically find them wherever we look.”
It’s undeniable that fake fur is made from non-renewable petroleum-based products. For instance, nylon, acrylic, and polyester are then treated with heat and chemicals to improve their look and feel.
These industrial processes use three times as much non-renewable energy as real fur, according to the International Fur Trade Federation.
