Why We'll Never Use Recycled Polyester, and What We Use Instead

Recycled polyester isn't the sustainable hero brands are making it out to be. Studies now show it sheds 55% more microplastics, carries more chemicals, and may be worse for the environment than the original material it tried to replace. Once these fibers are shedded from the clothes, they are so small that they can get into the water filtration systems and into the food chain. These recycled materials hold higher concentrations of chemicals that were absorbed from their past life as being plastic waste.

In other words, giving a plastic bottle another life as a t-shirt or pants, doesn't help it, it just changes the way it pollutes the environment. This also makes the new recycled clothing less sustainable.

The term for this misleading claim is called greenwashing. Greenwashing is a very common used trick in the fashion world. It is a deceptive practice that companies use to try to make their clothes look and sound more environmentally friendly than they actually are. 

The alternative for this is to use environmentally safe materials like, silk, linen, 100% cotton, and tencel. 100% cotton is grown without synthetic chemicals or pesticides and it is soft, breathable, and durable. Linen is made from flax plant, it has natural cooling properties, breathable, and anti-microbial. Tencel goes through a process where the wood pulp is dissolved in a non-toxic solvent. It is very silky and sustainable. Silk is this gentle fiber that enhances skin hydration, is hypoallergenic, and benefits hair health.

These 4 natural materials can be great swaps to transform your closet to help not only yourself but the planet too. So next time when you are out clothes shopping, maybe try to look at tag that shows what actual materials went into making that item so you are not mislead again.