How our Clothing Choice affects Health

It is generally well known that microplastic particles are found all over our environment, including in the food we eat. Alarmingly, one of the biggest reasons behind that is the textile industry, the third-largest consumer of plastic, standing just behind packaging and construction.

Clothing items from familiar fast-fashion brands have been found to contain plastic fibres which not only end up in landfills and oceans, but consequently in our food, seriously impacting our physical health. 

Current research identifies a strong link between microplastics within seafood and environmental textile waste. Because it makes up a large part of all sources of microfibers, it directly impacts marine life, with the same fibers accounting for 82% of the total plastic particles detected in seafood. These particles then make their way into our bodies through digestion, affecting our blood, tissues and organs. 

Our uninformed microplastic consumption has been linked to health issues such as higher risks of stroke, heart attack, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, hormonal disruption and premature death, according to a recent report. Even the general decline in male reproductive qualities, such as decreasing sperm counts and increasing numbers of testicular dysgenesis syndrome (TDS) and other reproductive disorders, is potentially contributed by pollutants like pesticides and heavy metals. 

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So what actions have been taken?

Big brands such as Adidas and H&M have attempted to shift the narrative on their environmental impact by investing in recycled polyester as the new eco-friendly alternative to virgin polyester, even though this new ‘sustainable’ solution has proven to contain more microfibers than its original version (shedding 55% more particles according to a Changing Markets report). This material is also made up majoritively of plastic from water bottles, not textile waste, and can be found in clothing from brands who claim to be sustainability-focused, such as Patagonia.

Moreover, aiming to reduce waste and remove textiles from landfills, recycling companies and fashion brands have become increasingly involved in high-profile sustainability initiatives, such as WRAP’s Textiles 2030 Initiative, despite their environmental consequences being evidently greater than their new efforts to take responsibility. Nevertheless, the public effort to effect change does not go unnoticed, with existing reports like Trashion: The Stealth Export of Waste Plastic Clothes to Kenya presenting policy recommendations for eliminating clothing synthetics from our environment, through EU-mandated measures such as ‘recycle and reuse’ targets for the sector and plastic taxes. 

Given that plastic pollution is set to more than double within 15 years, the fashion industry must take action.

Less plastic in our clothes equals less plastic in our bodies.

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For more information contact: info@scarabtrust.org.uk

Image: modern woman landfill consumerism versus pollution - Image by Ground Picture on Shutterstock (ST ref: 1140)