PLASTIC IN CLOTHING, A SERIOUS PROBLEM
Did you know that almost 70% of all clothing on the planet is made from plastic? The development of new materials such as polyester and nylon facilitated the rise of so-called ‘fast fashion’.
Fast fashion is cheap clothing that looks nice for a short time but was never meant to last. Clothing items are on average worn only 7 times (!!!). These poorly made clothes from plastic materials have numerous damaging side-effects like, for instance, plastic pollution.
Because during production, wearing and discarding, the plastic materials that are used release (‘shed’) little fragments called microfibres. These particles are under 5 millimetres in size and belong to the microplastics family, which you may have heard us talk about before.
Our report “Do clothes make us sick? Fashion, fibers and human health” highlights the scientific research on microplastic fibers and the effects on human health. Scientists all over the world are deeply concerned about the long-term effects of microfibres. Researchers already find them everywhere; from the furthest corners of the North pole, to the inside of our organs, blood streams, and food chains. With a shocking 35%, the textile industry is the largest contributor to microplastic pollution in our oceans.
We need to stop fast fashion. As many as 74% of Dutch people is angry about the bad quality of fast fashion clothing.
It’s time to stop this, and you can really make a difference!
