Do you know your EcoVero from your eco-polyester? Can you spot fabric greenwashing? I spoke with sustainable fashion experts to find out which fabrics to avoid, what to embrace, and whether polyester really is the root of all evil.
Disclaimer: if you read this and realise you already own fabrics I’ve put on the naughty step, don’t throw them out. Wear and enjoy them for as long as you can, then recycle them if possible.
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How to choose more eco-friendly fabrics
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Don’t buy
Most sustainable fashion experts agree that it’s better to avoid human-made fibres that are petroleum-based, non-biodegradable and notoriously low-quality. “The worst offenders are virgin polyester and acrylic,” says Bianca Alleyne, founder of Sustainably Influenced. “Both shed microplastics and have a huge carbon footprint.”
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Do buy
Look for natural fibres such as linen, organic cotton and wool, with recognised certifications such as Gots (Global Organic Textile Standard). “I am a bit obsessed with working with cotton and how much you can do with it,” says Natalie Hasseck, creative director at the brand Rise & Fall. “You can make it contemporary and almost architectural, or wispy, soft and gentle.”
Alleyne is a fan of linen, among the least impactful fabrics to produce because it’s derived from flax, which requires no pesticides, minimal water, can grow in poor soil, and gets softer and more enjoyable to wear with age. It’s also worth keeping an eye out for branded semi-synthetic viscose fabrics such as Tencel and EcoVero, which are less carbon and water intensive to produce than regular viscose. Meanwhile, Circulose is made using 100% recycled cotton textile waste.
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What’s the beef with polyester?
An estimated 57% of all fibre produced globally is polyester. It’s cheap and mimics more premium fabrics. So what’s so bad about this ubiquitous fibre? “From a wearer’s perspective, polyester doesn’t breathe,” says Alleyne. “It traps heat and sweat, which can make clothes uncomfortable.”
Polyester is created from oil, meaning it has a huge environmental impact, and it releases microplastics with every wash. “In order to extract it and transform it into fibre, it has to go through an extremely chemical-laden process, from spinning through to dyeing,” says Leigh Morris, a sustainability and product development consultant who has worked in fashion and retail for more than 20 years and now educates on its environmental and social impact. “Polyester takes hundreds of years to decompose, all the while leaching toxins and chemicals into the soil.”
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How to spot red flags
“If something has been marketed as a natural fibre, check the care label to see if it has been mixed with plastic synthetics (polyester, nylon, acrylic). This is a common tactic with high-street and fast-fashion brands in order to achieve ‘the look’ while reducing the cost price of the raw materials to max out their profit,” says Morris, who adds that mixing plastic fibres while marketing the natural element is a form of greenwashing. Meanwhile, Hasseck warns consumers to look out for anything that sounds too good to be true, such as “‘vegan leather’ that is actually polyurethane or ‘eco’ polyester. Brands bamboozle customers into thinking that ‘vegan leather’ means a step forward or a more sustainable choice, when in reality, it’s often just plastic by another name. Greenwashing loves a buzzword.”
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Are blended fibres ever OK?
This is a nuanced topic, since blending can make a garment last longer, but generally speaking, blending synthetic fibres with natural ones – for example, polycotton – makes them almost impossible to separate and recycle or compost at the end of the garment’s life. “You will see something billed as a ‘silk polo’ that is 15% silk, 40% cotton, and the rest is elastane. Luxury brands often use blends but label and price their products as though they are pure,” says Hasseck.
Polyester is easy to blend. “This leaves the high street with a significant opportunity to maximise its profit by mixing it in with other more premium fibres, or completely swapping out [the premium fibres],” says Morris. “While this may sound like common sense from a business perspective, you’re actually being sold a subpar product, and the impact on the environment is huge.”
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Beware of knitwear
Have you noticed that knitwear isn’t always wool? Retailers substitute wool with synthetics as a cost-cutting exercise. “Brands will reason that this is done to make clothing prices as financially accessible as possible, but the real reason is profit maximisation – we see these switches even at £200-plus price points,” says Morris. “Wool is naturally breathable, body-temperature regulating and incredibly durable, with antibacterial and hypoallergenic properties, while also being biodegradable. Switching out to synthetics eliminates all of these benefits.” A good natural vegan alternative to wool is cotton knitwear.
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So where should you shop?
Besides mid-priced brands such as Rise & Fall, many others are using natural fibres to make quality clothing that lasts with a lower environmental and social impact. Alleyne recommends Ninety Percent for quality basics.
“To be budget conscious but still access great-quality natural fibres, try secondhand platforms like Vinted and eBay and preloved businesses like Goldie Vintage, Nearly New Cashmere and Reloved Again,” says Morris. She also advocates for shopping at Patrick Grant’s Community Clothing, which focuses on keeping British clothing manufacturing alive, and circular brand Rapanui, one of the few companies that accepts back its worn-out garments to be recycled into new clothes. Of course, we should all be buying less in general, so it makes sense to invest in fewer, better-quality pieces that will last, and that can be responsibly disposed of at the end of their lives.
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Hannah Rochell is a fashion features journalist who specialises in writing about – and experiencing – slow, comfortable style and living on her Substack, Slowette
