Are we all mugs for buying and
wearing polyester apparel? It is chemically based and an environmental disaster.
On the bright side it is very durable and cheap to manufacture.
Who really benefits from
polyester clothing? Well, the oil companies; polyester is derived from
petroleum, the chemical industry; who supply all of the toxic chemicals used
and the so called lifestyle/sportswear brands who peddle it. Luckily for those
brands they can turn a blind eye to the environmental damage polyester causes.
It’s not their responsibility; trouble is it’s no ones responsibility. It’s a
win win situation for them. They don’t have to inform the end customer what
toxic chemicals they use, there’s even no legal obligation to test any of their
polyester apparel to see the level of toxic chemicals contained in the finished
garments before retailing.
The idea that any lifestyle/sportswear
brands who claim to be responsible and or sustainable when manufacturing
millions of polyester apparel is a joke.
It is very easy to moan, and we
moan a lot, too much. Is there an alternative to polyester sports apparel? If
you look at the natural fiber world the strongest most durable fiber is hemp.
Now hemp has an image problem,
industrial hemp used for apparel is different from the cannabis you can smoke
to get high or help with your arthritis. Unfortunately for hemp, consumers and
the environment, oil and chemical industries are not going to sink their
petrochemical dollars into marketing hemp. There’s no point, as hemp doesn't require any of their products.
Why should we ditch polyester
and wear hemp?
Many consumers look for comfort
and durability in choosing a fabric, so hemp’s softness and high abrasion
resistance make it a competitive choice. Hemp has a beautiful natural luster
and a lush hand and drape not found with any other natural or synthetic fiber.
Hemp may be known for its
durability, but its comfort and style are second to none. The more hemp is used, the softer it gets: it
wears in, not out, thriving on regular use and machine washing without
suffering fabric degradation. Hemp actually becomes softer, more resilient and
more lustrous as a result of washing. This means hemp retains its sleek sheen
every time it is washed, it never dulls, and that it releases stains more
easily than other fabrics.
Hemp’s superior absorbency, due
to its porous nature, means that it is very breathable and quick drying. Hemp
can absorb up to 20% its own weight while still feeling dry to the touch (vs.
polyester, which can absorb a maximum of 6%). This is important in the case of
any fabric that is in contact with human skin, as perspiration is rapidly
absorbed. Hemp’s absorbency allows it to accept dyes readily and retain colour
better than other natural fibers.
Hemp has a high resistance to
ultraviolet light; it will not fade or disintegrate from sunlight as quickly as
other natural fibers.
Hemp grows well without the use
of chemicals: usually no pesticides or
fungicides are used because it has few serious fungus or pest problems.
Hemp requires less water to
thrive than other natural fiber crops, it is actually drought tolerant and
usually grows well without irrigation.
Hemp has a fiber yield higher
than any other agricultural crop, thereby requiring less land for equal yield:
Finally, any product made of
hemp is fully biodegradable and easily recyclable.
The only people who want you to
wear polyester are the self-interest parties of the oil and chemical industry
and partnering lifestyle brands with a disregard for the environment who only
seeks substantial profits from manufacturing an inexpensive synthetic textile.
source: oecotextiles
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
