Life of a Fiber

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You are at a clothing store, and find a nice T-Shirt with your favorite band on it. Do you buy it? [[Buy it]] [[Don't buy it]]

You wore the clothes to a safe, socially distanced gathering. You come home and realize that there's a little spec stain from the food you were eating. [[Throw it in the laundry basket]] [[Handwash the stain out!]] [[Throw it out and get new clothes]]

You find 5 sweaters, a bunch of old socks with holes in them, an old worn out jacket, and a bath towel you want to get rid of. [[Bring them to a thrift store so that you don't wear them but other people can]] [[Throw them out]] [[Reuse them as rags]]

You think spring cleaning is too much work, but maybe I should do my laundry. [[Do your laundry]] [[Just wear dirty clothes]]

You bought your new fancy clothes! It looked wonderful on the mannequin and you know you'll look wonderful as well. You have bought new clothes that were manufactured, using resources such as water (a single pair of jeans requires 10 tons of water) and fosil fuel (which is a necessary resource for transportation as well as production of polyester) to produce, possibly with child labor or other forms of unethical production. 220 million tons of CO2 are produced annually solely from cotton. You think to yourself, should I wash this? After all, COVID-19 is still out and about... [[Throw it in the laundry basket]] [[No, it doesn't matter]]

You come home without new clothing, and you're happy that you've saved some money by not spending it. You open your closet and find a bunch of old, worn out clothes. You think to yourself... maybe time for spring cleaning? [[Spring cleaning]] [[Too lazy]]

Most likely your clothing was a blend of natural fiber with polyester blend. Microplastics is released regardless of whether you handwash the clothing or put it in the laundry with other clothes. After learning that, you... [[Keep wearing the clothes because what else can you do?]] [[Bring them to a thrift store so that you don't wear them but other people can]] [[Throw away all of your clothes with polyester mix and turn to 100% natural fiber clothing]]

Good for you! The worst thing for a clothing is to end up in landfill. But, every time you do your laundry you are reminded of the fact that you are actively polluting the ocean. [[Be depressed.]]

You throw away all of your clothes with polyester blend. Cotton takes up to 5 months to anaerobically decompose in landfill. (Some other natural fibers, such as wool, can take up to 5 years to decompose in landfill.) They have released methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The polyester can take upwards of 200 years to decompose. After the decomposition, they continue to pollute the environment through waterways into the ocean, the fish, the land, the animals, and humans. You think to yourself, it's okay that they ended up in the landfill, because at least I'm not releasing anymore microplastic into the ocean... You turn to other organic based companies. [[Research]]

You do your laundry. Microplastics from laundry represent the largest primary source of ocean pollution. If there are any form of Polyester or other synthetic fibers, every time they are washed they release a certain amount of microplastic into the watersystem. After learning that, you... [[Keep wearing the clothes because what else can you do?]] [[Bring them to a thrift store so that you don't wear them but other people can]] [[Throw away all of your clothes with polyester mix and turn to 100% natural fiber clothing]]

You successfully brought your clothes to the thrift store! You were able to keep the clothes out of landfill, and are making used clothing available for other people to reuse instead of buying new clothes that require additional resources to produce and transport. You then... Buy clothes from [[Thrift store!]] Go [[Research]] options for new clothes that use organic material.

Turns out, the cheaper companies tend to "greenwash," meaning they present themselves as though they are reliable and sustainable but are actually not. They either don't use organic fibers that are from the region, possibly imported from thousands of miles away, are not offsetting their carbon footprint, and/or are not attempting to make the company greener. You turn to the more expensive options. [[I buy them, because even though they're expensive they'll last me years.]] [[Are you kidding? I could never afford them.]] [[Do more research]]

The all organic, ethical, and the carbon-offset-ed cotton shirt you buy are USDA 100% Organic, meaning it is made with 100 percent organic fiber content, with only organic processing aids (pesticides, fertilizers, etc.), and all operations producing, handling, processing and manufacturing the final product is certified. Even though it is all organic and is ethically produced, since it is produced from new, non-recycled cotton, the shirt took over 700 gallons of clean water to produce. You also found some clothes with synthetic materials, but of which are [[Recycled]]. You think to yourself... [[I'm still happy I bought it because there's no better option]] Or, [[Be depressed.]]

You buy a wool sweater and a cotton jeans with no polyester blend, that are cheaper than the companies that are dedicating their company to source responsibly with equal pay. You feel better about yourself because you're not wearing any plastic. You are wearing wool that is a byproduct of the meat industry. They have been mass produced in a facility that practice mulesing, which is a cause of concern for animal welfare. The pair of jeans you bought used 10 tons of water to produce. In order to grow the cotton, the farmers used pesticides such as Aldicarb (a nerve agent), and Endosulfan (which is known to cause comas, seizures, and even death). The cotton was produced in India, using child labor, with no protective gears from the harmful chemicals that were used. You think to yourself, what the hell am I supposed to do? I can't afford to buy expensive clothes and I can't throw away clothes... [[Be depressed.]] [[Thrift store!]]

You say "YOLO!" and wear your clothes you have worn before. You are actually doing something really good for the environment and your clothes. Though after some wear you should wash your clothes for good hygene practice, washing clothes after every wear is not good for some items. By keeping it out of the wash as long as possible, you are preventing microplastic from entering the waterway into the ocean. Also keeps your clothing from wear and tear! [[But you put it in the washing machine for hygene]]

You think to yourself, I got the most out of this clothing as much as possible. There is no other possible way for me to use this. You throw away your clothes. Most of them were cotton-polyester blend, and they end up in the landfill. Cotton takes up to 5 months to anaerobically decompose in landfill. They have released methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The polyester can take upwards of 200 years to decompose. After the decomposition, they continue to pollute the environment through waterways into the ocean, the fish, the land, the animals, and humans. [[Be depressed.]]

As you reuse them, you keep washing them, and as a result, you release microplastic into the waterway. Microplastics from laundry represent the largest primary source of ocean pollution. If there are any form of Polyester or other synthetic fibers, every time they are washed they release a certain amount of microplastic into the watersystem. After learning that, you... [[Throw them out]] [[Keep using them]]

You have realized that there is no perfect solution. Whatever option you choose, there is always a downside to it. If you buy new, you use resources. Try to keep using the things you have, you keep releasing microplastic. Even though there is the 'all organic ethical clothings,' they are often too expensive for an average person. You think to yourself, how can I blame anyone for opting for the cheaper one? Who can blame anyone for choosing the polyester blend? But, the vast majority of polyester producers worldwide essentially engage in slave labor, workers are exposed to toxic chemicals that may cause neurological damage, cancer, or other potentially fatal conditions. They enrich owners/international corporations while exploiting uneducated people in impoverished countries. Welcome to the end of the world! You're living it right now :) Go back to [[The Start]] and try to look for a better solution, or [[accept that the world sucks.]]

You are at the thrift store, looking at clothes. You think to yourself, this is great! I'm saving money because I'm not buying new clothes, and by buying second-hand, I'm not using other resources such as water and fossil fuel. You find yourself surrounded by clothes that are just sitting there. All around you are clothes, worn out clothes, newer clothes, but most have polyester blends in them. You think to yourself, if someone bought any of these, microplastic will pollute the ocean and the environment. You then imagine the clothes in landfill. All the clothes in the thrift store in a landfill. You think about how an average person in America throws out 81 pounds of clothing per year. [[Be depressed.]]

Good for you for being happy with your choices! You have voted with your dollars which company you support and which companies you don't. But, remember, you could get all-organic, GOTS, OCS, and NOP certified organic cotton you’re still wasting a lot of water for the actual production of cotton. Even if you buy recycled clothing, every time you wash anything with polyester you’re contaminating water with synthetic microfibers. On a budget, it’s almost impossible to find a 100% organic clothing, since almost all of fast fashion relies on the cheap and quick turnaround of polyester. Having the ability choose which company you support and which you don't is a privilege that not many people have. [[Be depressed.]]

You keep using them because you know they will do nothing better in landfill. [[Be depressed.]]

There is such a thing as recycling clothings! Especially for synthetic materials, of which that cannot be decomposed easily (and some at all), it is a valid form of keeping clothes and fast fashion out of the landfill. There are two forms of certification for recycled material, Global Recycle Standard (GRS) and Recycled Claim Standard (RCS), which are meant to maintain the level of recycled material (what materials are being recycled and how they’re processed). But, they still release microplastic and still takes so long to decompose... [[Be depressed.]] [[I'm still happy I bought it because there's no better option]]

Currently, there is no real good option other than expensive clothes. Some ways in which people are trying to avoid the fashion industry is by making their own clothes, or simply reducing the amount of clothing they own. By owning and buying less, your participation in the fashion industry becomes minimal, and so will the toxic byproducts of the system. So... what will you do?

You find out that there are different labels for organic materials and products that use organic materials! There's the Global Organic Textile Standard, or [[GOTS]], which define requirements to ensure organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing up to labeling in order to provide a credible assurance to the end consumer. There's also the [[OCS]], Organic Content Standard under Textile Exchange. It is operated by a different company than the GOTS, but has a similar certification. And, there is the famous [[NOP]], the National Organic Program under US Department of Agriculture.

Within GOTS, there are layers of certifications. "GOTS certified" means that they are 70% certified organic fibres. "Organic" label is only given to products with of 95% certified organic fibers, and "organic fibers" are defined by the GOTS as, “natural fibres grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, insecticides, or herbicides and GMOs… according to the principles of organic agriculture” For a fabric to be GOTS certified, certification to the IFOAM Family of Standards for the relevant scope of production is required. Currently (April of 2021), 6823 suppliers worldwide are GOTS certfied! This is one of the more exclusive certifications. Check out other forms of certifications, such as [[NOP]] [[OCS]] You think to yourself, wow this is great! ...but then you also realize, there is so much clothes in landfill, it's not good that they're producing more in the first place... right? [[Be depressed.]]

The OCS is under the Textile Exchange, which is a very largge nonprofit organization. They are under one of IFOAM’s Family of Standards, and they look at the maintenance of the organic content from farm to product certification to the IFOAM Family of Standards. Currently (April 2021), about 15,890 companies are OCS certified! Check out other forms of certifications, such as [[GOTS]] [[NOP]] You think to yourself, wow this is great! ...but then you also realize, there is so much clothes in landfill, it's not good that they're producing more in the first place... right? [[Be depressed.]]

The NOP certifies raw natural fibers, such as cotton, wool, flax, etc., which are agricultural products and are covered under the NOP crop/livestock production standards. There are differnt labels for NOP. There is the "100% Organic” label, which means that it is 100 percent organic fiber content, with only organic processing aids (pesticides, fertilizers, etc.), and all operations producing, handling, processing and manufacturing the final product are certified. “Organic” labels means that there is minimum of 95 percent organic fiber content, could have 5 percent nonorganic substances (what can be in that 5% is predetermined), and all operations producing, handling, processing, and manufacturing the final product is certified. And then there's the “Made with organic…” label, which proves that the product has a minimum of 70 percent organic fibers, and/or are only manufactured in certified organic facilities. Check out other forms of certifications, such as [[GOTS]] [[OCS]] You think to yourself, wow this is great! ...but then you also realize, there is so much clothes in landfill, it's not good that they're producing more in the first place... right? [[Be depressed.]]

Cotton takes up to 5 months to anaerobically decompose in landfill. They have released methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The polyester can take upwards of 200 years to decompose. After the decomposition, they continue to pollute the environment through waterways into the ocean, the fish, the land, the animals, and humans. Additionally, you bought new clothes that were manufactured using resources such as water (a single pair of jeans requires 10 tons of water) and fosil fuel (which is a necessary resource for transportation as well as production of polyester) to produce, possibly with child labor or other forms of unethical production. 220 million tons of CO2 are produced annually solely from cotton. Also, throwing them out is terrible for the environment. Let's say that the clothing you threw out was cotton-polyester blend. Cotton takes up to 5 months to anaerobically decompose in landfill. They have released methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The polyester can take upwards of 200 years to decompose. After the decomposition, they continue to pollute the environment through waterways into the ocean, the fish, the land, the animals, and humans. I don't care, I'm gonna go buy more clothes! go back to [[The Start]] [[Be depressed.]]

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