Last year, global textile production grew to a record 124 million tonnes. The increase was largely the result of higher volumes of virgin polyester, which now accounts for nearly two-thirds of the total market, according to a report released last month by nonprofit Textile Exchange.
The fossil-fuel-based plastic material has come to dominate the fashion industry over the last 25 years, besting cotton on price, offering unparalleled versatility and helping to fuel substantial growth. Polyester is lightweight, durable, colourfast and dries quickly. The material is ubiquitous across brands and price points, often present as a blend even in products that appear to be made from natural fibres.
But the flood of cheap, plastic fashion is also an increasingly pressing environmental problem. Global polyester production is responsible for planet-warming emissions roughly equivalent to nearly 200 coal-fired power plants, according to a 2017 report by the World Resources Institute. Microplastics that shed off clothes in the wash are leaching into waterways, food systems and our bodies. Landfills around the world are overburdened with plastic fashion that will survive for hundreds of years slowly releasing toxins into the soil.
Governments are taking notice. California Governor Gavin Newsom closed out September by signing into law a bill that will make brands responsible for collecting and recycling old clothes. Similar measures are already under way in Europe. The UN is in the process of negotiating a landmark treaty on plastic pollution.
But fashion has yet to find a viable alternative that can compete with polyester on cost and performance. Many brands have made commitments to shift to recycled polyester, but efforts to develop the market have stalled. Almost all of the recycled product currently available is made from plastic bottles, so itâs not tackling fashionâs waste problem at all. Worse, while old bottles can be recycled into new ones multiple times, once theyâve been transformed into fabric, their end destination is likely landfill. Meanwhile emerging textile-to-textile recycling technologies have yet to scale.
Hereâs a breakdown of fashionâs growing reliance on polyester by the numbers:
