A new study by the Changing Markets Foundation has suggested that recycled polyester is not as environmentally-friendly as initially assumed, creating 55% more microplastic particles on average during washing than virgin polyester.
According to the study, more than 100 brands, including sportswear brands Adidas, H&M, Puma and Patagonia, have committed to the use of recycled polyester, which is often produced from waste plastic bottles, as a central part of their environmental strategies.
Laboratory research
According to laboratory research undertaken by the Changing Markets Foundation, not only does recycled polyester produce more microplastic pollution particles, these particles are also nearly 20% smaller, with a single laundry cycle capable of releasing up to 900,000 microplastic fibres.
The study compared T-shirts, tops, dresses and shorts from five well-known fashion brands, including Adidas, H&M, Nike, Shein and Zara, which are among the world’s biggest users of polyester, both virgin and recycled.
Nike’s polyester clothing was found to shed the most microfibres – more than 30,000 fibres per gram of sample clothing, on average – which was four times H&M’s average and over seven times Zara’s average.
‘Sustainability fig leaf’
“Fashion has been selling recycled polyester as a green solution, yet our findings show it is deepening the microplastic pollution problem,” commented Urska Trunk, senior campaign manager, Changing Markets Foundation.
“It exposes recycled polyester for what it is: a sustainability fig leaf covering fashion’s deepening dependence on synthetic materials. Smarter design tweaks and end-of-pipe fixes will only scratch the surface. Real solutions mean slowing and phasing out synthetic fibre production and stopping the diversion of plastic bottles into disposable clothing.”
According to the Changing Markets Foundation, the drive to use recycled polyester in the fashion industry is ‘largely greenwash’, with only a small share of polyester used in clothing actually recycled through textile-to-textile systems. It also noted that fashion’s use of virgin polyester is growing so fast that the share of recycled polyester used across the sector fell last year.
The study was conducted by the Microplastic Research Group at Cukurova University in Turkey, led by professor Sedat Gündoğdu and associate professor Ilkan Özkan. Read more here.
