Did you ever think you’d be eating plastic in your fish? It sounds utterly surreal, like something from a Dr Suess novel (green eggs and ham!). But, unfortunately, this isn’t something from a quirky children’s book: it’s a real problem that the world is facing.
The issue here is microplastics. You’ve probably heard of them – they’ve been spoken about fairly frequently on the news, with more and more tales coming out over the past year or two. But, where do these teeny tiny particles of plastic come from, and how are they ending up on your dinner table? Let’s take a look.
Microplastics in the Fashion Industry
A lot of clothes these days are made from plastic. Polyester, acrylic, nylon, elastane, and PVC are some of the most commonly used materials in the fashion industry and all of them are derived from plastic.
This is especially true in the fast-fashion world. There’s no way around it: plastic materials are cheap. When companies are trying to keep costs low to get consumers through the door, that’s a big bonus.
But, this is where the problem of microplastics presents itself.
With whole wardrobes made up of plastics, and clothes that are constantly breaking down and falling apart, those fibres need to go somewhere. Enter: microplastics.
What Are Microplastics?
Microplastics are microscopic particles of plastic. As an infinitely-lasting material, plastic never degrades and separates into the different chemicals that form it. Instead, it simply breaks apart into smaller pieces, ready to stick around on the planet forever.
But these smaller pieces of plastic are a much bigger pain than anyone could have ever imagined. They can get everywhere – and we do mean everywhere – and because they’re so tiny it can be difficult to detect them without scientific equipment.
How Are Microplastics Created From Our Clothes?
If your clothes are made from a plastic-derived material (even if it’s a blend) they’re going to be releasing a lot of microplastics.
This can happen simply as you move. The friction caused by walking around can be enough to release microplastic fibres into the air.
It also occurs when you wash your clothing. The mechanical and chemical processes that clean your clothes in a normal washing machine aid in the shedding of fibres. It’s estimated that up to 700,000 microplastic fibres can be shed from an item of clothing in a normal wash.
Where Does Microplastic End Up?
Microplastics can end up everywhere. Those that are shed as we move tend to stick around in the air, waiting to be inhaled. In fact, it looks as though we each breathe in up to 68,000 plastic microfibers every year. We don’t know about you, but we’d rather keep our lungs a plastic-free zone.
They also frequently end up in the ocean. Our seas are becoming ravaged by plastic, including these tiny microplastics from our clothes. When we wash plastic materials in water, they shed directly into it and, due to their size, are almost impossible to remove. That leads them straight into the seas or right back into our water systems. The majority of all drinking water in the world now contains microplastic, ready to be swallowed whole by whoever drinks it.
Microplastics are also being eaten by marine life in the oceans. Once eaten, they can create blockages in the digestive tracts of these creatures, cause physical injuries, affect oxygen levels in their cells, and cause behavioural changes.
The tiny bits of plastic coming from your clothes are also polluting the seas with chemicals. The dyes and treatments applied to the fibres leak off into the water, infecting our oceans with poisonous chemicals that are disastrous for marine life.
Microplastics in the Human Body
Because of the abundance of microplastics, it was only a matter of time before they entered the human body. You can ingest these tiny particles when you eat fish, salt, sugar, and rice, or drink water, beer, and milk – and that’s just getting started. For the first time, earlier in 2022, microplastics were discovered in human blood.
The scariest thing is that the long term effects of this still aren’t known. We know that they’re likely to be leaking chemicals into our bodies and that microplastics in the lungs can cause asthma and other breathing issues, but we don’t know the full picture yet.
Unfortunately, if we keep creating plastics that create microplastics, this problem isn’t going to get any better.
How to Prevent Microplastics From Entering Our Oceans
Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be like this. There are ways we can work together to cut down on microplastics, especially in the fashion world, and keep them from entering our oceans.
One solution is to use wash bags specifically designed to catch microplastics. The GUPPYFRIEND wash bag aims to catch the fibres that are shed during washing whilst reducing shedding overall. Rather than letting the plastics stream directly into the water, it filters them and effectively holds them back.
Another option is to cut down on the number of clothes you buy that contain plastic-based materials. There are so many alternatives out there, making this a pretty easy task! Some plastic-free fabrics to put on your good list include:
- Cotton
- Linen
- Viscose
- Hemp
- Rayon
Although it might not always be an option to avoid plastic fibres altogether – especially when it comes to shopping swim-, active- or outdoor wear – you can always go for recycled materials like Econyl. They help keep waste out of the ocean and play an important role in limiting plastic pollution.
Shop Conscious Clothing at Finsu
At Finsu, we’ve collated the best in sustainable fashion onto one, easy to use platform, making it easier than ever to find clothes that minimise your footprint. Whether you are looking for plastic-free clothing or conscious fashion that helps save the planet in other ways, we’ve got you covered!
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