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Laundry is a top source of microplastic pollution—here's how to clean your clothes more sustainably (theconversation.com)

submitted 9 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The most common microplastics in the environment are microfibers—plastic fragments shaped like tiny threads or filaments. Microfibers come from many sources, including cigarette butts, fishing nets and ropes, but the biggest source is synthetic fabrics, which constantly shed them.

Textiles shed microfibers while they are manufactured, worn and disposed of, but especially when they are washed. A single wash load can release several million microfibers. Many factors affect how many fibers are released, including fabric type, mechanical action, detergents, temperature and the duration of the wash cycle.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

Cotton, wool, linen, silk, hemp, bamboo, etc..

Even Rayon/Viscose is “decent”, as it’s a pulp and paper product.

Downside is that it is much, much easier to find near-100% natural products as a guy than as a girl. A lot of clothing for women come only in synthetic fibres, and the struggle for my wife is very, very real.

And even as a guy, you have to be aware of mixes. Many fabrics may be up to 95% of one thing (cotton, etc.), but then have a half-dozen synthetic additives (for additional physical attributes, like stretchiness) that then contribute to those microfibres that don’t easily break down.

Even as a hard Atheist, I frequently (and jokingly) turn down clothing due to the fact that it violates Leviticus 19:19.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

As a fellow atheist, I love your bible argument! 😂

I can imagine it's more difficult for women, but as a man I haven't really looked into that. And as an old man dressing more on the "formal" side it might be easier to find clothes, than younger "athleisure" people.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

The hilarious bit is when I see salespeople wearing visibly obvious Christian symbols (a cross on a necklace, for example) who get either visibly confused at my reference, like they have no clue of that passage or what it says, or get visibly offended that I am (ostensibly) living my life biblically, like a good Christian should.

I was even once asked why I was not wearing a cross. Enraged the dude by telling him that all iconography and symbols - like a cross - is nothing more than a golden calf.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

True question: bamboo, rayon, viscose, tencel, etc... are "natural" product artificially polymerized. Aren't these similar to plastics in the sense of a polymerized chain?

Does it degrades faster than "traditional" plastics? I'll have to look into that.

And I otherwise completely agree with you. I'm now only buying if cotton/linen/wool. However hard to find clothes made 100% with these. :(