Nike's Coral Reef
We say to ourselves: "What?!? Are you crazy?!? My laundry is poison? My Yoga Pants pollute the ocean and poison the life within it?"
Hard to believe right?
Well, believe it and Stop Look and Listen! Afterall, that's what we learn to do as kids when we cross the street. Why do we learn this street mantra? Well it's obvious we don't want to end up as "road pizza"!
Right now scientists are saying Stop Look and Listen, doing laundry of polyester type fabrics are poisoning the planet!
Everyday clothing products like leggings, yoga pants, tshirts, sweatshirts, underwear, you name it! All kinds of Polyester fiber products ie: nylon, lycra, microfiber, acrylic etc. are poisoning our planet. The chart below names a few of the fibers:
| Fibre | Source | Attribute |
|---|---|---|
| Acrylic | Petroleum Products | Lightweight, warm, dries quickly |
| Modacrylic | Petroleum Products | Lightweight, warm, dries quickly |
| Nylon | Petroleum Products | Durable, strong, lightweight, dries quickly |
| Polyester | Petroleum Products | Durable, strong, lightweight, dries quickly |
| Spandex | Petroleum Products | Elastic, strong, lightweight |
At 1 World Sarongs we are always weighing what products we should offer to our customers and what are the impacts of those products on the environment.
As good stewards of the Earth, our focus is being friendly and sustainable to Mother Earth because we want to have a lasting legacy of sustainability for future generations. Imagine what it would be like to grow up in a poisoned polluted world? What it is like to be a young adult or child today with a huge amount of environmental issues going on? Here's one kids book about it: Goodbye Earth
In the past we have gone back and forth on deciding which fibers to use. Choosing between Rayon or Silk or Cotton or Polyester Fibers.
Well, now it's clear that Polyester Fibers should be off the table as they are polluting our oceans and poisoning the lifeblood of our planet.
Use of Polyester clothing is now proven to be entering the food chain. This happens when we wash the clothes and the Polyester fibers go down the drain eventually reaching our oceans, rivers, lakes and streams. When we destroy the water ecosystems and the life in it through the use of Polyester and plastic (petroleum based products), we can count on a devastating effect rippling through the entire Earth and it's food chain, to our own and future generations final detriment.
At not other time in history has the impact of one species, humans, had so much power and influence over the natural world.
It's almost impossible to read or watch the news without some sort of warning against the effects our behavior is having on our magnificent home.
With this revelation of polyester being a major cause of pollution and damage to our wonderful oceans, it makes us think how can we or any clothing manufacture or supplier sell polyester fibers in good conscience?
Well, wisdom says change. Focus on solutions. What can we do now?
What if 1 World Sarongs collected a sort of Tax that every time we sold a polyester product there would be a portion that was donated towards cleaning up the oceans or creating recycling programs or benefited organic cotton farming?
At this time it's really up to the governments and big companies who are the biggest polluters to make changes in their supply chain. Customers have a choice too. So the next time you are ready to make a purchase, think about what it is made of. If it's polyester and not recycled, maybe it's time to look for that cotton or rayon material which maybe friendlier to our beautiful home.
 |
| Mountains of Polyester Garbage or Gold (recyclable)? |
Ideas? How about less disposable fashion? How about more plant or protein based fibers? What do you think about buy less and hold longer and buy second hand or trade clothing?
Stop Look and Listen - this is our beautiful home, how are we going to take care of it now and for future generations?
Look forward to your feedback!
Peace,
Terry
www.1WorldSarongs.com
PS Rest assured 1 World Sarongs is focused on doing what we can to make a change. We want to hear from you. Together we are stronger!
PSS On reflection it seems like anything that is petroleum based (oil industry products) like plastic, gasoline, diesel, coal,
More info:
YOGA Pants Harmful environmental impact[edit]
Spandex is one of several non-biodegradable synthetic fibers. [15] [16] Today most clothes containing spandex end up as non-recyclable waste once they've been worn out, as fabric blends containing spandex are difficult to recycle. [17] This contributes to the pollution of the environment. Additionally, non-biodegradable microfibers from laundry end up in the worlds rivers and oceans. [18] [19] Some environmentally conscious consumers prefer to buy clothes made of natural, bio-degradable fibers like cotton, flax, linen and wool. However, even some of the clothing companies marketing their products as being "sustainable" add spandex to clothing items like "organic cotton socks", potentially misleading consumers into thinking they are purchasing products that are natural and safe for the environment when they are not entirely so.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spandex#Harmful_environmental_impactA few quotes from around the web:
"Nowadays, polyester is easy to miss unless you check fabric tags rigorously. It’s already ubiquitous in our most basic garments, such as t-shirts, dresses, and jeans, while calling almost no attention to itself—and that’s the point. It has become essentially invisible, even as it rapidly takes over our wardrobes.
As production of cotton, the world’s most popular natural fiber, has plateaued, polyester has stepped in to fill the void. Because it’s inexpensive, easy to blend with other materials, remarkably improved in its look and feel, and no worse for the environment than conventionally grown cotton, it has allowed us to keep churning out more and more cheap clothes without a hiccup."
https://qz.com/414223/if-your-clothes-arent-already-made-out-of-plastic-they-will-be/Environmental concerns[edit]
Pollution of freshwater and seawater habitats[edit]
A team at Plymouth University in the UK spent 12 months analysing what happened when a number of synthetic materials were washed at different temperatures in domestic washing machines, using different combinations of detergents, to quantify the microfibres shed. They found that an average washing load of 6 kg could release an estimated 137,951 fibres from polyester-cotton blend fabric, 496,030 fibres from polyester and 728,789 from acrylic. Those fibers add to the general microplastics pollution.[10][11][12]
Non-renewable[edit]
Polyester is a synthetic petroleum-based fibre, and is therefore a non-renewable carbon-intensive resource.[13] Nearly 70 million barrels of oil are used each year to make polyester around the world, which is now the most commonly used fiber in making clothes. But it takes more than 200 years to decompose.[14]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyester#Environmental_concerns
Rayon is not innocent:
Manufacturing health hazards[edit]
Highly toxic carbon disulfide is used in the production of viscose, leading to many incidents and legal cases.[24] However, the volatile carbon disulfide is lost before the rayon gets to the consumer; the rayon itself is basically pure cellulose.[4] Studies from the 1930s show that 30% of American rayon workers suffered severe effects. Rates of disability in modern factories (mainly in China, Indonesia and India) are unknown.[5][25]
Disposal and biodegradability[edit]
The biodegradability of various fibers in soil burial and sewage sludge was evaluated by Korean researchers. Rayon was found to be more biodegradable than cotton, and cotton more than acetate. The more water-repellent the rayon-based fabric, the more slowly it will decompose.[26] Silverfish can eat rayon.[citation needed]
A recent ocean survey found that rayon contributed to 56.9% of the total fibers found in deep ocean areas, the rest being polyester, polyamides, acetate and acrylic.[27]
Cotton has it's costs too:
As water resources get tighter around the world, economies that rely on it face difficulties and conflict, as well as potential environmental problems.[49][50][51][52][53] For example, improper cropping and irrigation practices have led to desertification in areas of Uzbekistan, where cotton is a major export. In the days of the Soviet Union, the Aral Sea was tapped for agricultural irrigation, largely of cotton, and now salination is widespread.[52][53]
Why We Need to Clean Up Cotton
| Over two-thirds of the world’s cotton is grown in developing countries and the former Soviet Union. Valued at over $30 billion every year, global cotton production should be improving lives. But this ‘white gold’ too often brings misery. Although some progress is being made, the unsustainable, inequitable and abusive conditions under which much of the world’s cotton is produced, continues. |
Child Labour and CottonIn Uzbekistan – the world’s 3rd largest cotton exporter – the government ordershundreds of thousands of children – some as young as seven – to harvest the annual cotton crop. Hard work for little or no pay, cotton benefits not the rural poor , but the ruling dictatorship, which derives millions from the export of cotton. In Andhra Pradesh, India, over 100,000 children have been documented working for 13 hours a day for just US50 cents. In West Africa, children are trafficked to work in cotton fields. |
| Learn more about Child Labour and Cotton |
Pesticides and CottonCotton grows on 2.4% of the world’s arable land, yet it is responsible for the release of over US$2 billion of chemical pesticides each year. Nearly half of these are considered toxic enough to be classified as 'hazardous' by the World Health Organisation.Pesticides are hazardous by design – these are chemicals manufactured with the aim of killing, repelling or inhibiting the growth of living organisms. An estimated 1 million to 5 million cases of pesticide poisoning occur every year, resulting in 20,000 reported deaths among agricultural workers and at least 1 million requiring hospitalisation. Aldicarb, a powerful nerve agent, is one of the most toxic pesticides applied to cotton, yet it is also the 2nd most used pesticide in global cotton production. A single teaspoonful of aldicarb on the skin would be sufficient to kill an adult. |
| Learn more about Pesticides and Cotton |
Water and CottonCotton is the world’s thirstiest crop – six pints of water are needed to produce one cotton bud.In Central Asia the demand for water to irrigate cotton fields has contributed to the draining of the Aral Sea, a crisis so acute that the United Nations described it as one of the “most staggering disasters of the 20th century”. |
| Learn more about Water and Cotton |
Subsidies and CottonUp to 99% of the world’s cotton farmers live and work in the developing world wherecotton is a smallholder crop grown by the rural poor. Cotton accounts for around 40% of West Africa’s exports, yet subsidies to northern cotton farmers have led to a fall in world prices and economic problems in the south. |
http://www.ejfoundation.org/page93.html
Polyester Pollutes Oceans
Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword. The McKinsey State of Fashion 2019 said this is the first year it ranked as a top priority for the apparel industry. It is increasingly difficult to ignore the effects of apparel production and waste. The industry has regulated chemicals, created new eco-friendly fibers and are seeking more green practices. Interestingly enough, there is a new, unexpected source of adverse environmental impact.
New Pollution Sources
Apparel production is notoriously polluting, but now there’s more. The new culprit is the maintenance of apparel products, most notably polyester. In fact, these effects are enough to have the government step in. As a consequence, California proposed a bill that would require a warning label on clothing comprised of over 50% polyester, according to Sourcing Journal Online. If this legislature passes, then the sale of apparel without it will be illegal by 2020.
It’s a “tumultuous period for polyester,” stated EcoTextile News. This backlash is due to the discovery that the fiber can shed 1,900 microfibers per wash. These polyester microfibers are escaping through filters and into the water supply. Assemblyman Richard Bloom of Santa Monica cited research from UC Davis detailing how “25% of fish and a third of shellfish” sampled at California fish markets contained plastic debris. Moreover, The Ellen MacArthur Foundation predicted that “The world’s oceans will contain more plastic than fish by 2050.”
Preventative Measures for Polyester
Ultimately, completely eradicating polyester from the supply chain is not feasible. Although, some measures can be taken when washing polyester products. The Plastic Pollution Coalition shares that hand washing clothing significantly reduces the number of microfibers shed. Also, laundering items in garment bags and using liquid soap helps minimize abrasion.
Luckily, The Hohenstein Institute is studying how to reduce the emission of these microfibers through technology and testing. We are reaching a crucial point in the fight for sustainability; awareness and demand for change from consumers will be what creates further change in the industry.
Apparel Textile Sourcing supports sustainability in fashion. Come source sustainable textiles and garments from our incredible exhibitors.
Source: https://www.appareltextilesourcing.com/polyester-pollutes-oceans/
Climate change too:
The people thinking about these issues fit no single profile. They are women and men, liberal and conservative. They come from many regions and religions.
Cate Mumford, 28, is a Mormon, and Mormons believe God has commanded them to “multiply and replenish the earth.” But even in her teens, she said, she could not get another point of doctrine out of her head: “We are stewards of the earth.”
