Are 'sustainable' fabrics really good for the environment?

“I don’t see any real circularity in the apparel sector. I see permission to shop,” - Veronica Bates-Kassatly in “Fashionscapes: A Circular Economy”

We have wanted for sometime to discuss the contentious issue of ‘sustainable’ fabrics amidst so much greenwashing within the fashion industry. To REALLY shed some light in an issue that is all too often simplified for good, commercial interests.

Given the media spotlight on the polluting aspect of the fashion industry, many brands (especially fast-fashion ones) are giving a new spin to a much more complex problem by focusing on the use of ‘green’ fabrics - from recycled natural fibres like recycled cotton and cashmere to recycled polyester and nylon, we are all raving about the positive impact of these ‘responsible’ fibres.

Given that fabric production is the main reason why the fashion industry is one of the largest polluters globally, it is no surprise that brands are so focused on solving this issue by substituting clearly unsustainable polyesters and virgin materials with recycled ones.

Before we go on to examine the tangible qualities of each fibre type, let us reflect on the wisdom behind such an approach. This approach is somewhat akin to reducing the health impact of a largely sedentary ,couch-bound lifestyle with little exercise, by buying a fat-reducing infrared belly band that one can wear whilst sitting in front of the TV, snacking on chips. It does not get to the root of the problem, and addresses it only superficially in a commercially appealing, market-friendly way.

In the same way that fast-fashion sells us easy solutions (low cost garments, with frequently updated styles), the same fashion giants are now selling us a magic bullet to counter our sense of consumer guilt and their environmental impact, all whilst increasing the final output.

Some facts:

• Between 1975 - 2020, the volume of textile fibres produced nearly quintupled from approximately 24 million metric tons of textile fibers to 108 million metric tons - Statista.com
• Global fibre production is expected to reach 156 million metric tons by 2030, a 43 percent increase in comparison to 2020 - Statista.com
• Today, about 69% of clothes are made up of synthetic fibres, including elastane, nylon and acrylic. Polyester is the most common, making up 52% of all fiber production. 
• Between 2005-2021, production of clothing has doubled while there has been a 40% drop in the number of times an item of clothing is worn - Ellen Macarthur Foundation
• Less than one percent of clothing material is recycled into new clothes, and only 13 percent is recycled into other products - impakter.com

With these figures in mind, let us now examine the trends in eco-fabrics.

Recycled Cotton

• Pros: reduces reliance on virgin cotton which is an extremely thirsty crop and since it is such a popular crop, uses around 6%  and 16% of all insecticides worldwide
• Cons: The process of recycling can weaken fibres. Costs more on average and still doesn’t solve the water crisis since only 0.7% of cotton production worldwide is ever recycled. Part of the reason lies in the lack of collection and sorting systems required to close this loop.

TENCEL™ (Our favourite! But it needs to be real, certified Tencel!)

• Overview: TENCEL™ is a sustainable semi-synthetic fabric produced from the wood pulp of eucalyptus trees by the Austrian company Lenzing AG in a closed-loop system. The fibres used for TENCEL™ are collected only from sustainably managed forests, with minimal water usage. Good article here from Treehugger.
• Pros: Made from natural fibres in a closed-loop system so the impact on the environment is minimal. TENCEL™ is harvested from certified wood sources and is fully compostable and biodegradable. It has even earned BioPreferred designation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is only granted to products made from renewable resources!
• Cons: More expensive than other fabrics. A significant amount of chemicals is required in the production process of Tencel. However, the latter is managed by Lenzing via a closed loop system that ensures that gases produced during the production are not released into the environment but are recovered, converted and returned to the production process to be used as raw materials.

Recycled Polyester (rPET)

• Overview: The common recycled substitute for virgin synthetics are polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, the most common type of plastic bottles. Creating rPET is also less polluting; according to a 2017 life-cycle analysis , manufacturing rPET generates 79% less carbon emissions than producing its virgin counterpart.
• Pros: Reduces the reliance on virgin synthetics which is polluting every step of the way.. so much has already been said on this one. Great articles on this topic from the Guardian and Common Objective
• Cons: Mircrofibres that are shedded in each washing process is still polluting. Fibers continue shedding from recycled plastic yarns just as much as from virgin yarns. Interestingly, by using PET bottles for recycled polyesters, we are taking them away from a well-established, closed-loop recycling system, where they can be efficiently recycled at least 10 times. So the apparel industry is “taking from a well set-up closed-loop system, and moving it into a linear one given the lack of infrastructure in place to take back these recycled-poly garments. In addition,  rPET cannot be mechanically recycled even a second time, without a steep decline in the quality of the fibres, which get progressively shorter and weaker. While chemical recycling is possible, few scalable technologies can currently recycle old rPET garments into new rPET garments. 

Recycled Nylon

• Overview: As a synthetic fibre found in everything from fishing nets to pantyhose, nylon doesn’t easily break down, making it infinitely recyclable. Recycled nylon is great for form-fitting garments and high-performance sportswear given its stretchability and durability. Econyl®, developed by Italian manufacturer Aquafil is one of the key players in recycled nylon fabrics
• Pros: Uses fewer resources (water, energy, fossil fuel) than virgin nylon
• Cons: Faces the same issue of shedding microfibres just like rPET. Not biodegradable.

Our take on this?

Sustainability is a complex issue and requires a fundamental mindset shift from both consumers and producers. The adoption of eco-fibres can help tackle the current crisis only if over-production is kept in check, and ample infrastructure for clothing take-back, sorting and recycling is in place. Without which, circular fashion concepts runs the very real risk of being co-opted into a linear system that is badly in need of drastic overhaul. The devaluation of clothing in mass-produced garments that are low-priced, widely available and subjected to short-lived trends, also exacerbates the trend of reactive, over-consumption.

Interesting, over-consumption has surpassed over-population as the leading driver for climate change, and research shows that we actually buy more when items are labeled with words like “recycled” or “circular”.