I remember my parents always taught me to sort our clothes into dark and light piles before doing the laundry. Eventually, this became common sense. It is obvious we need to separate the colours otherwise the dark clothing would stain the white ones. This itself is for the sake of protecting the appearance of my clothing; however, what happens to the dyes that end up in the water? How does the textiles industry affect our environment?
Chemicals in clothes
Toxic chemicals are one of the main components in clothes. An abundant amount of water, dyes, and bleach to produce and colour the garments. In fact, textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of clean water globally, after agriculture.
In order to sell more products, retailers tempt shoppers to buy newer, trendier apparel. Due to its cost and the convenience, we forget we can mend our clothes. Approximately 8,000 synthetic chemicals are used when bleaching and brightening clothes in order to produce vibrantly coloured clothings. These chemicals are not only detrimental to humans, but also to the environment and marine life. Some of the dyeing chemicals can also cause triggers such as allergic reactions, skin irritations, and rashes.
Plastic in clothing?
Eventually, many wearable garments end up in the landfill. Synthetic clothing, made of polyester and nylon fabrics, shed microfibres when washed. After multiple washes, more microfibres are produced, but the washing machines cannot filter out such small size. Moreover, when clothing are thrown out into the landfill, the fabrics will eventually break down and become microplastics as well.
Solutions?
What can we actually do to help resolve this issue then? It is really difficult to ban certain types of fabric. Polyester, in specific, is convenient for its price, durability, and easy handling. However, by upcycling and donating the clothes, we can reduce the amount that ends up in the landfill. In addition, by buying only what is necessary and by washing clothes with a gentler cycle, there will be less shedding due to less friction in the load. It really is a difficult task to alleviate this issue; however, if we are not conscientious of the impacts of textiles, we will only continue to harm our own health and the environment around us.
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