With our garments made of synthetic materials - and there are quite a few of them - we spread microplastics. Here's the thing: wearing, but especially washing, clothes made of synthetic materials releases tiny lint, which are tiny plastics that end up in nature via waste water and can enter our food chain via animals. And so into us too. Because research shows that not only do we carry microplastics on our skin, they are also Ãn our bodies. An unpleasant idea, we agree. What should we do with all these clothes made of synthetic materials?
Spreading microplastics with your clothing style
Your laundry basket looks harmless - and with coloured laundry, perhaps even ‘cheerful’. It is therefore almost hard to imagine that clothing wear is such a major culprit in the creation and spread of microplastics. Figures from Plastic Soup Foundation show that clothing wear is the second largest contributor to secondary microplastics, i.e. microplastics created as a result of plastic wear. (Primary microplastics unfortunately also exist. These are microplastics that are deliberately made and added to products such as personal care products and detergents - it really happens). To give you an idea of the extent of microplastics from clothing: every five kilos of wash from synthetic clothing releases an average of nine million microfibres, which are discharged with the rinse water, according to Plastic Soup Foundation. Sodeju!
Microplastics are actually two problems
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic, often smaller than five millimetres, that appear everywhere and are a growing problem. They are thus created by wearing down or breaking down larger plastic objects, such as car tyres that lose tiny particles while driving, by wearing shoes, among other things with plastic soles, or by washing synthetic clothes, where millions of fibres end up in the water. Litter that slowly crumbles also contributes to this problem. Microplastics originally come from plastic, which is made from petroleum, a fossil fuel that causes significant damage to the environment and contributes to climate change. You might not immediately make the link with clothing, but synthetic clothing, no matter how soft and colourful it is, is thus also made from petroleum.
Microplastics are not without risk
Moreover, all those tiny particles of plastic around us are not without risk. You find them in nature, in animals, they are in our food, in our bodies and they have even been found in the placenta of pregnant women. Quite a scary idea when you think about it. Especially since microplastics are not biodegradable and there are indications that microplastics are bad for our health. On the TV programme Radar (2019), the director of Plastic Soup Foundation explains that there is evidence that microplastics can affect immune cells and lung cells which could cause inflammatory reactions and hormone disruptions. Additional research is needed to establish this definitively.
Secondary microplastics are tiny plastic particles created by the abrasion of plastic objects such as rubbish, fishing nets, car tyres and thus clothes.
What should we do with all this synthetic clothing?
Okay, clothes made of synthetic materials pose a serious environmental problem. What now, because we have so many garments made of them. Just think about it... A mackintosh, sports leggings, stretchy underwear, a chic blouse with a sparkle, your favourite jeans with a bit of stretch, a nice warm winter coat: we all have a lot of fine clothes made of synthetic materials such as polyester, polyamide or elastane. And we also increasingly have clothes made of recycled synthetic materials which is certainly a nice sustainable step, as this does not require drilling petroleum out of the ground, but unfortunately it does not solve the microplastics problem. You can read more about recycled (synthetic) materials here. We wrote extensively about this with two fashion experts.
We should not (!) get rid of synthetic clothing
You often hear people in the green corner say, ‘we need to get rid of synthetic clothing’. An understandable reaction when you consider the devastating effect of drilling for oil. But it is a little short of the mark to put it that way, we think. First of all, synthetic clothing fabrics have some unique properties that almost no other clothing material can match. You go swimming in a cotton swimming costume. I wish you good luck. Secondly, natural fabrics are not free from environmental damage either, take cotton or bamboo example. Sounds durable, disappointing in practice. In short, every material has its pros and cons.
Look at the quality of synthetic clothing
Now we are not saying that we are going to sit on the lap of the fast fashion brands that are flinging cheap clothes made of poor-quality synthetic materials into the shops on an assembly line. Please, don't buy this. What we are saying is that there are still very good reasons to buy a good piece of clothing made of a synthetic material such as a mackintosh, a backpack, a swimming costume, your sports outfit or perhaps that great pair of jeans with a little bit of stretch. What is important here is that you check whether the garment is made of sound materials, preferably recycled to avoid at least one environmental problem. tack. By the way, you can find a long list of better, more sustainable fashion brands here.
Various synthetic materials
If you decide to go for a synthetic one, it is important to choose a fabric with a structure that will not fluff easily. So not a polyester fleece jumper, or fluffy scarf that quickly releases microplastics, even from recycled materials. But a good winter coat made of a smooth, water-repellent fabric that you then use for years will do just fine. And you don't need to worry so much about your swimming costume and that festive blouse made of ‘smooth’ synthetic material you already have in your closet. Just keep wearing them and wash them sparingly and carefully. We will go into more detail in a moment!
Washing synthetic clothes
Since the microplastics problem of synthetic clothing mainly takes place during washing, we obviously take a moment to consider this as well. Even when washing a small pair of knickers or a smooth blouse that is very unlikely to release many microplastics, it is smart to take some extra measures to minimise the spread of microplastics. It is still a synthetic fabric that may still release something of a thread or fluff. And all those threads and fluff together soon add up to a nice ball anyway.
- Wash your clothes sparingly. OK, this does not apply to pants, but many clothes are also fine to hang out instead of washing. We also have more tips for getting clothes clean and fresh without washing.
- The hotter you wash clothes, the more microfibres are released. Try to wash these synthetic clothes as cold as possible.
- Preferably use liquid detergent. According to Milieu Centraal then fewer fibres come loose and also avoid scented fabric softener. I would add: choose eco-brand detergent and use natural vinegar as a substitute for fabric softener.
- On average, 3.5 times more microfibres are released in the dryer than in the washing machine. Therefore, it is better to hang out wet clothes.
- There are several gadgets on the market to catch microplastics in your washing machine. Plastic Soup Foundation recommends subscribing to a washing machine filter from PlanetCare, this device attaches to your machine's hose. We are fans of a laundry bag from GuppyFriend, but also a Cora Ball is an option. More and more new washing machines are also coming on the market with a built-in microplastic filter.
While washing clothes releases microplastics that can end up in nature via the sewage, but there are easy and affordable ways to collect those microplastics such as a CoraBall.
Summing up what to do with synthetic clothing?
So we don't think you should ever buy or wear clothes made of synthetic materials again. Besides, this material also has some great properties - hello water-repellency and fine stretch - which probably means you still can't live without it at all. What you can do: don't buy cheap synthetic clothes, preferably buy synthetic clothes made of recycled materials, don't buy synthetic clothes that can get fluffy - go for a natural material, for instance you have warm fleece jumpers made of good wool or cotton. And wash these garments (even if they are from a sustainable brand or a recycled material) only when it is urgently needed and preferably in a special laundry bag or in a machine with a microplastic filter - nice scrabble word.
Sources: Plastic Soup Foundation, RIVM, Voedingscentrum, Milieu Centraal. Photo credits: main image: left: Enrique Hoyos (Pexels), centre: Kaboompics.com, right: Nastya Sensei (Pexels), Jan van Gent: Pixabay.com, plastic landfill: Leonid Danilov (Pexels), washing machine: Ketut Subiyanto (Pexels), Ball and lint: CoraBall.
