The tides are slowly but surely turning against fast fashion. As images and videos of massive clothing dumps appear on our social media feeds, it’s obvious why this keeps happening. Fast fashion is, after all, made from synthetic materials that don’t degrade.
Whether you’re looking to lower your carbon footprint with eco-friendly dresses or tops, or just curious, it’s important to learn what fabrics you should avoid. And in this blog, we’ve come up with 5 unsustainable fabrics that are inflicting widespread damage to our planet.
The Importance of Choosing Affordable Sustainable Fashion Brands in India
To lead a more sustainable life, modifying your relationship with fashion is quite effective.
Sustainable fashion is about refusing, reducing, and rethinking how you consume fashion. Unfortunately, much of the industry today is dominated by H&M or Shein, churning out new designs (usually copies from smaller designers) constantly. They sell trendy styles made from synthetic fabrics, priced low to attract more buyers.
However, judging by those awful videos of clothing dumps, it’s obvious these fast fashion brands make their clothes from unsustainable fabrics. Polyester or Nylon are cheap fabrics that are widely used, even if they cost the wildlife, the environment, human health, and your health. These unsustainable fabrics are polluting the water and land, increasing greenhouse gas emissions, causing unethical and unsafe working conditions, resource depletion, and more.
Choosing to intentionally buy organic cotton dresses online, made from sustainable fabrics, means you’re protecting the environment, workers, and yourself. It might not look like much, but enough collective action can lead to change. And this is what we need right now.
5 Least Sustainable Fabrics
Polyester
Polyester is the least sustainable fabric available today. Every year, 61 million tonnes are produced, which represents a whopping 54% of the market share. This is more than all the other fibres produced.
However, it’s not merely the massive production scales that make polyester’s ecological impact so severe. It’s a synthetic fibre made from the same thing used to make plastic containers and bottles: non-renewable fossil fuels.
When you buy organic cotton women’s tops, you might think they’re not stretchy enough. Meanwhile, polyester is durable and stretchy, but it also releases microfibres whenever it’s washed. These microfibres end up in our water supplies, which can’t be filtered. Eventually, this ends up in streams, rivers, and oceans, where the wildlife might ingest them. Needless to say, this causes a cascade throughout the food chain. Lastly, the reason you shouldn’t buy synthetic tops is that they never completely degrade.
Viscose
Viscose is subjected to greenwashing more than any other fabric. People often mistake it for organic cotton tops or blended cotton fabrics. It’s a type of rayon, which is the umbrella term for semi-synthetic materials made from fast-growing trees such as eucalyptus or beech.
Technically made from trees, the extracted wood pulp undergoes an intensive chemical process to isolate the cellulose. The isolated cellulose is then chemically regenerated and spun into usable fibre. And these chemicals are toxic, severely affecting plant life, aquatic life, and human life.
Nylon
Nylon, like polyester, is derived from crude oil, which is non-biodegradable. It also releases microfibres when it’s washed.
The production of nylon is unsustainable since it’s water-thirsty and energy-intensive. It also releases a greenhouse gas (nitrous oxide) that is more potent than carbon dioxide, remaining in the atmosphere for approximately 121 years.
Acrylic
Acrylic is also derived from fossil fuels, commonly used as a wool alternative in rugs and sweaters. It’s made from an extremely toxic chemical called acrylonitrile, which stays inside the fabric even after multiple washes. Even though it’s not toxic to the wearer, it’s severely hazardous for workers involved in the manufacturing process. Similar to nylon and polyester, acrylic is non-biodegradable and stays in landfills for centuries.
Spandex
Elastane, or spandex, is another stretchy fabric commonly found in swimsuits, athletic wear, and leggings. But, similar to the fabrics mentioned above, it’s made from fossil fuels, which makes it non-sustainable.
The manufacturing process of spandex is polluting and energy-intensive. Throughout the process, several toxic chemicals are used, some of which might be harmful to the wearer and remain in the fabric. Additionally, it releases microplastics every time it’s washed, and it’s not biodegradable.
There’s Still Hope
No one is perfect, so it’s no use beating yourself up for wearing dresses or tops made from these unsustainable fabrics. Especially when considering how pervasive these fabrics are. So, when shopping for sustainable dresses online, look for brands that are transparent and honest about their processes. We highly recommend brands such as StudioRitushar by Suchi, No Nasties, and so on.
It’s unlikely you can avoid unsustainable fabrics completely. But moving forward, you can do your best to make a greener lifestyle!
