7
votes
Accepted
What should I pick for sportswear if synthetics are bad (microplastics)?
Use a fine-mesh bag when washing your sportswear
The first goal of sustainability is to reuse goods for as long as possible. Microplastics are a real concern, but we don't need to throw our synthetic ...
- 2,919
6
votes
Accepted
Is garment rental all that sustainable?
A recent article suggests that garment rental isn't all that sustainable. Not surprisingly, the most sustainable garment is the one that is not produced at all or, on the flip side, the garment that ...
- 386
6
votes
Accepted
Sustainably waterproofing a rain jacket
What you should consider when trying to refresh the waterrepellency of your garment is how the garment is constructed / was waterproofed originally and which materials were used. There are different ...
- 386
4
votes
Is fleece clothing a cheap and sustainable alternative to conventional cotton?
Polar fleece cloth is Polyethylene terephthalate (C10H8O4) sometimes brand named Dacron. It is the same synthetic organic used to make plastic soda bottles, but it isn't generally recycled in its ...
- 276
4
votes
Sustainably waterproofing a rain jacket
Historically in the colonial era, cloth was waterproofed using a 1:1 mixture of boiled linseed oil and beeswax, heated so it would leech into the fibers. For more temporary use, beeswax can sometimes ...
- 161
4
votes
Pros and cons of bamboo clothing compared to cotton?
From a wearing standpoint:
Bamboo is extremely stretchy - if the garment you are looking at is
made of bamboo, you need to consider if you are expecting any
support; because from my experience there ...
- 41
4
votes
Does adding essential oil to a wash waste detergent?
Adding the essential oils during the rinsing stage of the wash cycle (when the detergents have already done their job) makes much more sense as even though the essential oils might not use up much ...
- 386
4
votes
What should I pick for sportswear if synthetics are bad (microplastics)?
The sustainability of synthetic fibers cannot be reduced to microplastic shedding. In general, polyester (and other synthetic fibers) use much less water during production, no pesticides and have ...
- 386
4
votes
What should I pick for sportswear if synthetics are bad (microplastics)?
A couple of further suggestions, that don't involve buying new products (though a similar bag could be made from an old pillowcase):
Use a gentle wash cycle, to reduce the agitation that releases ...
- 2,126
3
votes
Accepted
How long does it take for different types of textiles to decompose in a landfill?
You are correct that it does seem difficult to find information on this topic, but I found a couple resources which may be of use.
From "Textile waste resource recovery: A case study of New York ...
- 12k
3
votes
Does adding essential oil to a wash waste detergent?
If you don't add additional detergent to your wash (nor do additional wash loads because you believe your cloths come out without being cleaned as well) to compensate for any effects (real, imagined, ...
- 1,654
2
votes
What to look for in a pair of sustainable shoes?
Main considerations:
source of materials.
Obviously more oil is a bad thing. This casts aspersions on any plastic too.
Longevity.
A shoe that lasts for 10 years is a 20 times the value of one ...
- 7,247
2
votes
What is the real impact of the new Adidas collection made with recycled plastic bottles?
The biggest impact is that you will contribute to the problem of microplastic pollution. I cannot find any studies on this but I would think that this negative effect would outweigh the positive ...
2
votes
Sustainably waterproofing a rain jacket
Lanolin, produced by sheep, has water repellent properties. It is relatively inexpensive and compact. Application is by rubbing or brushing so it doesn't have the waste associated with aerosols. ...
- 1,654
2
votes
Sustainably waterproofing a rain jacket
Google search for "wash-in waterproofing". Several are available; Nikwax TX being a popular brand which is at least water-based and PFC free. You use 50ml per garment (hand wash process) so you get ...
- 1,082
2
votes
Can human hair feasibly replace down as clothing filling?
In the end, what keeps us from getting cold in winter clothing is air. Air is a bad conductor of heat and any structure that has loads of air pockets will keep you warm. Down (as well as other types ...
- 386
2
votes
Does adding essential oil to a wash waste detergent?
I know this is old, but I think it should be mentioned...to avoid the possibility of the essential oil (EO) depositing on your clothes,EO should first be mixed with some sort of emulsifier before ...
- 31
1
vote
How long does it take for a cotton piece of clothing to decompose under landfill conditions?
Landfill conditions are notoriously anaerobic, so ANYTHING in a landfill will not decompose barely at all. It may take 20-200 years. Fact is, few things decompose in landfills, organic waste ...
- 359
1
vote
What to look for in a pair of sustainable shoes?
Summary: choose natural materials such as hemp, jute, organic cotton, or bamboo, preferably from a manufacturer that uses vegetable-based dyes, is fair-trade certified, and is working on reducing its ...
- 14.6k
1
vote
What are the concrete impacts of not recycling textile?
This is highly variable depending on the material. For example, if the textile is made from oil-based materials (i.e. plastics), disposing it improperly might accelerate the microplastics problem in ...
- 5,249
1
vote
What are the concrete impacts of not recycling textile?
That will very much depend on the material from which it is made. Assuming that the clothing cannot be repaired, the next best thing to do is to re-use it - for example, cut the cloth into squares and ...
- 783
1
vote
Is fleece clothing a cheap and sustainable alternative to conventional cotton?
Is fleece an alternative to cotton (sustainable or otherwise) -- the answer is mostly no due to the vastly different properties of cotton fabric and fleece fabric. An alternative is only an ...
- 386
1
vote
Bamboo fibre clothing (not rayon)
Positive Outlook are based in Coventry and produce bamboo fibre clothing, and they also advertise that they use "ethical manufacturers". Can't find any mention of what method they use though or who ...
- 11
1
vote
Why are hemp clothes so expensive?
Fed says inflation will rise but not fast enoughAs a hemp clothing retailer I can tell you that I mostly just get the product from the manufacturer and pay about 50% of what they sell it for. I dont ...
1
vote
What is the most sustainable way to dispose of shoes?
Recycle your worn out shoes (any type) at TerraCycle a Toronto based company. They recycle a variety of other products. To recycle shoes you need to purchase a box from small - large. A bit pricey ...
- 11
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible