Part 2 - How The Ever Growing Plastic Problem Effects The Textile Industry 

With plastic consumption and production predicted to increase in the next decade, the textile industry finds itself at a pivotal moment. Phasing out plastic is essential, and innovation holds the key. Though brands can incentivize, it is up to us to inform ourselves about what it truly means to be sustainable.  The COVID-19 pandemic still plaguing us into the new year has certainly released a cascade of complications. The textile industry, in particular, suffered tremendously, with individuals of influence often having to step in to organize crowdsourcing, raising money for the countless factory workers and other production line employees who lost their jobs. Notwithstanding such perils was the recycling industry, which at the onslaught of last year saw a reduction of demand and subsequent factory shutdowns. This demise stood out in stark contrast, as it came during a period when politicians worldwide had pledged to tackle the single-use plastic issue.  And yet, amongst the murky chaos, there emerged some silver linings, one of which was the all but sudden demand for the fashion industry to tackle sustainability. Brands, designers, and even consumers were all at once being held accountable for their choices. But the term sustainability is rather broad and does little in the way of explaining the intricacies of supply chains, carbon footprints, or even the chemical makeup of the microplastics in our fabrics (You can learn more about sustainable fashion in our Sustainability 101 Series). With greenwashing and the plethora of ever-released statistics from opposing sides, it seems as though for every new fact we learn, we can easily find two other ones that contradict it. Yet one fact for certain can not be debated. Plastic is toxic. It has been proven to be true time and time again, via the damage it has done to our oceans; our wildlife; even our own food, water, and air supplies. And yet, despite the evidentiary facts, the production and use of new plastics persist, with usage predicted to rise 40 percent in the new decade. How then, can the textile industry, with its own set of systemic troubles, tackle the plastic problem (which is predominantly operated by the oil and fuel industries)? Is it even possible?  Many refuse to think otherwise. Even pre-pandemic, changes were in motion, as the fashion industry began to take note of the pitfalls in using fibers spun out of recycled plastics. Rather, new technologies had begun to emerge—leather made from fungi; seaweed fabric softer than cotton; or fur created ethically out of plant-based materials. Such new alternatives, as well as the growing conversation around regenerative tactics, helps highlight the likelihood of genuine change within the industry, and a breakdown of long-practiced systemic ways.  But in order to move forward, further innovation is absolutely key. Certain well-established brands, including Eileen Fisher, Stella McCartney, and Tom Ford have taken progressive leaps to both inform and incentivize their consumers to think creatively and seek innovative solutions to today’s plastic problem.  On her website, Eileen Fisher educates her consumers about the presence of microplastics in recycled fabrics, such as nylon and polyester. Such contaminants, which often shed from fabrics during wash cycles, find their way into our oceans and rivers and ironically lead to the very destruction we aim to avoid. In her efforts to minimize such effects, Fisher notes to her customers that her brand strategically only uses such fibers in pieces that require minimal washes, such as puffer jackets and other forms of outerwear.  Stella McCartney too, informs her consumers of her brand's use of recycled nylon and polyester, noting specifically that “The polyester we use is made out of recycled plastic water bottles, which is what the vast majority of the recycled polyester around the world is made from. To date this has been the only commercial option available to us, however, we are seeking and supporting new technologies that will enable us, and the fashion industry, to recycle polyester fabrics back into fabrics. Only 1% of textiles are currently recycled back into textiles and we believe that it is time for the fashion industry to deal with its own waste.” For his part, at the end of 2020, Tom Ford partnered up with Lonely Whale’s 52HZ (founded by Adrian Grenier and Lucy Sumner) to launch the Tom Ford Innovation Prize of 2021. The mission statement warns the curious and cautious reader of the dire destruction induced by thin-film plastic, “the shroud of plastic at the edge of human experience.”  These words are as poetic as they are poignant, going on to explain the effects of this all but unnecessary piece of plastic. “These are the 40-125 billion single-use, resealable sandwich and storage bags, and the 180 billion plastic poly bags used annually by the fashion industry that end up in landfills or on the ground and in our ocean every single year. Thin-film enters our lives for a minute, yet continues on as waste, never truly disappearing or recycled.” So dire is the need to eradicate thin-film plastic immediately that the partnership promises a reward of $1 million to the most innovative alternative.  Though not each of us is a scientist capable of creating the next biodegradable alternative to the ever calamitous plastic, it does not mean that our efforts are any less important. As was noted in the early stages of the pandemic—each individual needs to take some form of action. Doing the research, sifting through statistics, and determining the true definition of what it means to be sustainable seems simple enough. But doing so can mean the difference between saving the planet, or continuing to be ignorant about ruining it.