When producing natural fibers like cotton, viscose, and leather, there can be a negative impact on
biodiversity if it is done unsustainably, so even though these are materials that can biodegrade,
there are still negative impacts associated with them. Other negative effects can include soil
depletion, deforestation, and diminished wildlife populations (Global Fashion Agenda).
The fashion industry mostly relies on non-renewable resources. Measuring up to around
98 million tonnes in total per year, this includes oil to produce synthetic fibers, fertilizers to grow
cotton, and chemicals to produce, dye, and finish fibers and textiles. With low levels of recycling
and the current wasteful, linear system, there is a large pressure on resources (Ellen MacArthur
Foundation 20). Also, man-made fibers usually require less water than natural fibers, and are
highly durable. However, many of these synthetic fibers are not biodegradable and rely on
chemicals and fossil fuels when they are being produced. They shed microfibers, which make up
35% of microplastic pollution in the oceans. Cellulosic fibers present an opportunity to be a
useful part of a sustainable material mix as an alternative to synthetics, but only if the impact on
deforestation and land degradation can be lowered (Global Fashion Agenda). Even though
synthetics, like acrylic, polyester and nylon, are cheap to use, they create more pollution because
they are harder to recycle and disintegrate slowly. For example, nylon takes 30 to 40 years to
decompose (Mukherjee 25). In 2018, the fibers used in production for the fashion industry
included polyester at 51% (54 million tonnes) followed by cotton at 25% (25 million tonnes).
Since polyester is cost-efficient and performs well, it is used often and is projected to increase
(Niinimäki). This is a problem because it can take 20 to 200 years to decompose (“Material
Guide: How Sustainable Is Polyester?”).
Many fabrics are blended and therefore have combined properties of their component
fibers. This often improves appearance, performance, comfort, and ease of care of a garment, but