Plastic in clothes: the fashion labels saying no to non-recycled fabric and materials
- From nylon to polyester, the plastic in what we wear may be less visible than it is in bottles or straws, but it is no less toxic
- Brands such as Everlane and Patagonia are cutting out ‘virgin’ plastics, but the fight is also against apathy and ignorance among shoppers
It was probably the only time a 93-year-old has stolen the show at the Glastonbury music festival. Sir David Attenborough had important things to say when he warmed up for Kylie Minogue last month. After showing scenes from Blue Planet II, the wildlife series credited with inspiring a sea change in attitudes towards plastics pollution, the broadcaster thanked festival goers and organisers for banning single-use water bottles. “This great festival has gone plastic-free,” he said to cheers. “Thank you! Thank you!”
Kylie’s crowd was right to feel virtuous – single-use plastic is an oil-derived menace to marine life – but how many paused to look down at the elastic in their waistbands, the polyester in their T-shirts and the nylon in their shoes? Plastic in what we wear may be less visible than it is in bottles or straws, but it is no less toxic.
Kimberley Smith is head of production at US clothing company Everlane, a company that has committed to eradicating all non-recycled, virgin plastic from its supply chain, stores and offices by 2021.
“When I started doing this five years ago, suppliers wouldn’t even show me their recycled fabrics or they wouldn’t even have them in their bag,” she says. “Now, recycled is the first thing they show us.”
But that mission is also about fighting apathy and ignorance among shoppers.
“There’s a lot more pressure now to be more educated about issues like water and air pollution, but I think people aren’t as clear that, ‘Oh, by the way, you know your fleece or your Puffa jacket is made of virgin oil?’ I don’t think people understand,” says Smith, who has previously worked at Gap and Levi’s.
