The Conscious Few

The Hidden Truth About Plastic in Your Clothes Did you know that nearly 60% of all clothing produced today is made from plastic-based fibers like polyester, nylon, and acrylic? These materials may be cheap and durable, but they come at a high environmental cost-one that we the people need to start thinking more about. When we think of plastic pollution, we often picture bottles floating in the ocean or overflowing landfills. But the fashion industry is one of the biggest contributors to microplastic pollution. Every time you wash synthetic clothing, tiny plastic fibers—called microplastics—shed from the fabric and enter our water systems. These microplastics are so small that wastewater treatment plants can’t filter them out, meaning they end up in our rivers, oceans, and even the seafood we eat. Beyond microplastics, plastic-based clothing is derived from fossil fuels, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. The production of polyester alone generates about three ...