By Nour Makarem | Staff Writer
Throughout recent years, with the rising concern over environmental issues (and rightfully so), in an ever-growing global movement toward going green, there’s been a surge in another sustainability movement within the fashion industry known as “Eco-fashion”.
Eco-fashion refers to clothing and footwear made from recycled plastic materials in an oath to fight against green gas emissions as they require considerably less energy, chemical processes, and fertilizers to produce. However, in creating what we thought would be a solution to our present problem, we’ve unknowingly dug ourselves into a hole by allowing toxins into our bodies due to the hazardous nature of the materials. Polyester, a popular material in today’s day and age, is a synthetic fabric made from petrochemicals i.e. petroleum. Recycled polyester is polyester which is made from plastic waste, such as used water bottles, as a zero-waste solution. While it may seem like a more sustainable option than traditional polyester, it can still be harmful to human health and the environment, due to the processes used to transform recycled material into polyester.
One of the main concerns with recycled polyester is that it can release microplastics and microfibers, such as when clothes of this fabric are washed. These tiny particles can end up in oceans and harm marine life, as well as be inhaled by humans, which can have negative impacts on human health. Additionally, the process of recycling plastic bottles and other plastic waste to create the fabric can release harmful chemicals into the environment, which can then contaminate air, water, and soil, as well as be a biohazard for humans.
However, not all recycled polyester is created equal: some companies may use more harmful methods or lower standards in the recycling process, which is why it is so important to be aware of where to buy clothes from.
Nowadays, polyester makes up over half of the entire fiber market, and yet most are unfamiliar with the associated risks. One would be surprised to find out that when worn, polyester can also release microfibers that can be inhaled, which can have negative impacts on human health. Primarily, polyester’s synthetic nature does not allow one’s skin to properly breathe and can lead to irritation in hot weather. Many of the chemicals involved in the making of polyester are known carcinogens; such as antimony, used as a catalyst in the production of polyester, PFOA, used to make polyester fabrics waterproof, Formaldehyde, which is used to smooth out the fabric as a finishing agent, as well as Perfluorochemicals (PFCs). All are linked to cancer and endocrine disruptors, meaning they interact and disturb the body’s hormonal processes and can lead to thyroid issues among other health disturbances.
These chemicals all have a starring role in creating a material so common yet many not consenting to such exposure due to not knowing what these fabrics entail. Also, the warm nature of the material, when worn in the general area in the form of underwear, can lower sperm production and lead to infertility in men. In fact, skin that is constantly under the constraint of such unbreathable fabrics can reap the consequences, which include but are not limited to chronic inflammation and arthritis.
On a final note, it is important to be aware that while many countries have regulations on the use of these toxic materials in clothing, not all of them are enforced strictly. Therefore, it’s crucial for people to be aware of the materials that are being used in their clothes, and to support sustainable and ethical fashion brands that prioritize the health of the planet and its inhabitants, especially when polyester is available to us in so many forms, from clothing to bedsheets, to underwear. It is up to us, as the consumers, to make better choices to push corporations to change for the better.