Microplastics made of recycled polyester: environmentally friendly or fraud?

Microplastics made of recycled polyester: environmentally friendly or fraud?

The fashion world is under pressure: A current study by the Chamber of Labor in Upper Austria has put the sustainability promise of large fashion chains such as H&M, C&A, Primark and Mango. It turns out that the supposedly "sustainable" textiles made of recycled polyester are not the environmentally friendly solution for which they are kept. According to the study in which the jacket of an H&M model was tested, these clothing frees an alarming amount of microfibers when washing. To be more precise, the jacket emitted 9,500 microfibers per kilogram of laundry, while that released between 2,400 and 4,100 microfibers from C&A, Primark and Mango. These numbers are in the same area as the emissions of newly produced polyester, which raises the question of the effectiveness of recycling.

The problem of microplastics is still exacerbated by the washing process. These tiny plastic fibers reach the waters of our earth via the wastewater, where they are absorbed by fish and other marine animals. What this means for human health and our ecosystems is worrying. A MedUni study showed that we now consume plastic in the size of a credit card every week. However, it is practically not possible to reuse the recycled polyester, since it is usually unusable for further recycling after processing into textiles. As a result, the companies that sell their products as sustainable obscur the actual ecological problems.

lack of transparency of the fashion group

Investigations by AK Upper Austria also show that fashion companies primarily emphasize the positive aspects of the recycled polyester in their sustainability reports, such as the reduction of CO2 emissions. However, the associated environmental problems, such as the release of microplastics, are not discussed. Consumers remain unclear and are misleaded by the advertising messages. If you are looking for a real alternative for this, you should focus more on natural fibers and prefer durable products instead of relying on prepared plastics.

For interested buyers, the online shop of C&A offers a large selection of fashionable clothing for the whole family at affordable prices. In addition to men's, women's and children's clothing, there are a variety of trends and ideas for every taste, so that customers can be inspired on their own fashionable path. C&A emphasizes that it is important to you to provide every access to high-quality fashion, and offers, among other things, special offers and discounts in your range to optimize the shopping experience, such as