Spotlight
If you've read climate-related news over the past few years, you're probably familiar with the following disasters: micro plastic.These small pieces of plastic end up ocean blockage.they appear at an alarming rate bottled water, food, cloud – and, human body. A study published just last month in the journal Toxicology examined 62 placentas; Different concentrations of microplastics were found in all containers.. The long-term effects on human health are: still little knownanother study published earlier this month found that microplastics in arteries and Increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Phasing is getting a lot of attention disposable plastic, causing visible plastic pollution and releasing microplastics when decomposed. However, there is growing recognition that plastics and microplastics are hidden in a surprising number of products we rely on. clothing.
Plastic debris from synthetic fibers has its own terminology. microfiber. Bits of polyester, nylon, elastane, and other synthetic fibers can flake off from clothing during wear, storage, and laundering.Washing alone may be the cause. Approximately one-third of microplastics released into the ocean each year — and some innovations and regulations emerged Reduce microplastic import from washing machines to our water system. But other innovators are imagining something even bigger: what our clothes could be made of instead.
The problem, of course, is that plastic is very functional. Synthetic fibers are typically cheaper to manufacture than organic materials and also offer performance benefits such as stretch and weather resistance.
“The era of plastics began because it imitated other things, and it was so functional that it became something of its own,” says fashion designer Wen.・Tran told Grist during our interview. 2023 Grist 50 List. In 2020, Tran founded a company called. tomtex Create bio-based alternatives to synthetic fibers, leather and suede. She believes a wave of new materials is poised to take over plastic-based textiles. She says, „I think biomaterials are coming into their own. Just give us a few more years and we'll see.“
This newsletter brings together some of the materials already on the market, from apple waste to synthetic spider silk, to give you a glimpse into a plastic-free future for textiles.
shrimp shell: TômTex biofibers are made from waste products from mushroom and shrimp shells. The company partly sources the latter from the shrimp industry in Tran's home country of Vietnam, which generates hundreds of tons of shell waste each year. And Tran says in his Grist 50 profile that he eventually wants to build a network of regional production facilities around the world, sourcing materials from different regional waste streams. The company debuted a fully biodegradable shell-based fabric at New York Fashion Week 2022 in collaboration with designer Peter Do. Its mushroom-based fabric was seen on the runways of both London and Paris Fashion Weeks in 2023. read more
Apple mash: Another example of a company using waste streams as textile raw material is New York-based accessories company Allégorie. The company makes bags and wallets from apple pomace (the mushy part left after squeezing the juice) and cactus, mango, and pineapple leaves. Co-founder Heather Jean told Marie Claire that some products retain a pleasant fruity aroma.
Since most of the faux leather products on the market today are made from plastics such as polyurethane or vinyl, Allégorie's fruit-based products aim to offer a better vegan leather. The company sees reducing food waste as part of its mission. read more
Old cotton: Perhaps a less surprising waste stream is used clothing itself.Early last year, Swedish company Renewcell World's first commercial-scale textile recycling facility opens. The company's patented process involves shredding old cotton clothing (with up to 5 percent non-cotton content), such as shirts and jeans, and chemically treating it to separate the fibers, resulting in a simple organic compound called cellulose. It can be obtained. This is then spun to create new viscose fabric.
The company's main attraction was its approach to textile waste. More than 100 billion items of clothing are produced each year, but only 1% end up in circulation as new clothing. Its existing inventory will also become new clothing made without plastic, meaning it won't generate more microplastics. But despite initial promises and support from financial backers including Swedish fashion giant H&M, Renewcel filed for bankruptcy last month. The move is largely due to a lack of funding and overwhelming demand for the company's products, which some commentators attribute in part to the difficulty of changing systems within the entrenched fashion industry. points out. The next steps for the company, its technology and its repository of recycled materials are unclear. read more
*Fixed: This section originally omitted information about Renewcell's bankruptcy.
Reinforced cotton: A company called Natural Fiber Welding works to strengthen natural materials like cotton to provide the same benefits as synthetic fibers. Wired reports that this process, known as „fiber welding,“ uses liquid salt to partially break down and fuse fibers together to create longer, stronger threads that can mimic some of the coveted properties of synthetic fibers. We are reporting how to create. , high strength and durability, especially relevant for sports and outdoor apparel. The company announced a partnership with Patagonia in 2021. read more
Lab-grown spider silk: A Japanese company called Spiber is pioneering a way to produce what it calls „brewed protein“ fibers, a desirable natural substance, in the lab. As The Japan Times reports, the research began in 2007 with efforts to engineer spider silk, which has long been admired for its strength, durability, and lightness. (Hence the name, a combination of „spider“ and „fiber.“) The company's first product, made from silk proteins synthesized by bacteria enriched with fragments of spider DNA, was launched in 2015. It was used by The North Face on a prototype coat. It's called Moon Parker.
But the company faced challenges when trying to create a product that wouldn't shrink when wet, like a spider's web. Now, Spiber is drawing lessons from its early engineering processes to produce brewed protein materials that do not duplicate specific natural substances. This new material is currently being used by sportswear company Goldwyn, distributor of The North Face in Japan, which wants to have brewed protein in 10 percent of its new products by 2030. There is. read more
— Claire Ellis Thompson
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parting shot
Another increasingly popular bio-based fiber is lyocell. The semi-synthetic fiber, also known by the brand name Tencel, is famous for its softness and relatively long-lasting properties. It is made by chemically dissolving wood pulp (usually fast-growing eucalyptus) and forcing the mixture through a showerhead-like device called a spinneret, which spins the fibers into thread. In this photo from the Fashion Awards 2023 in London, Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls fame wears a custom Tencel dress by luxury designer Patrick McDowell. Made with only sustainable recycled fabrics.